Casi Divas

I just came back from seeing a special screening of Casi Divas (or roughly translated, Almost Divas/Famous). It's a recent Mexican film that has made it's way to the United States. Casi Divas is a film about a fictional reality show where the contestants are competing to be the next star for a movie. It's a comedy that as times is filmed as a documentary, reality show, absurd comedy, and expose. It follows the lives of 4 of its contestants: Francisca, Ximena, Yesenia, Catalina. They all come from different parts of Mexico and are a bit stereotyped into it.

The best I can describe the movie is that it's a movie about a reality show that does not take itself too seriously but also tries to bring about topics of importance. It touches on a number of topics that are issues in Mexico - kidnapping, racism, homophobia/transphobia, and eating disorders. In fact, each one of the women is the poster child for each of those issues. It's a movie that makes you think about these things, but it doesn't try to be a part of the movement to change any of the problems. In fact, it brings them to light just so that you know they exist. Ximena sums it up perfectly near the end of the movie: "I am who I am."

No one really learns anything in the movie, and many things go back to the same way they were. But, the thing is. The movie doesn't seem to be a movie where the characters is supposed to learn something new. The purpose was to get people to laugh and to make a satire of a few Mexican things - particularly soap operas.

I had my reservations about tagging this under "101 must see..." because no one in the movie a lesbian. Although, at one point you do think one is. In fact, that character, Yesenia turns out to be wtm transgender. Since I do not have a 101 for the trans community, and since Boys Don't Cry is on this list, I add it to this list as well, with hopes that newer updated versions will include it as part of the 101's as well. Because I do think that this is a movie that lesbians should see, or any woman for that matter. It's a movie about women before anything else. These women supported each other, were at times bitches, but did genuinely care about each other (for the most part).

I particularly liked how the topics were treated in the film. Like I said, they weren't added to start a movement or anything, they were added to simply inform the audience that these subjects do exist, and these are things that people have to live and deal with. And when the camera is off, these problems will continue to be there. Juarez is a place in Mexico that is notorious for kidnapping for women trafficking. Anorexia is something that many women deal with. The pressure to be thin knows no borders, and the fact that it does remain hidden for years, and can continue to be concealed is something that is also real. Racism because of how dark you are, even in Mexico, hell, in South America, is also legitimate. The browner you are, the harder it is. And for the homophobia/transphobia, so much has already been said about those issues, and I'm glad that they continue to be talked about.

This movie was a perfect mix of humor and seriousness. It times it was completely absurd, and then you were brought back quickly to reality. Even then, most of the times it was done as a satire. I don't really have anything bad to say about this movie. It was very well done. Even though it was a bit stereotypical, it was done so that you could laugh at the stereotype. And it wasn't done maliciously, for someone who doesn't know much about Mexican culture, it wouldn't give you a negative perspective on it.

As I've said before, I'm very proud of Mexican cinema as of late. They have produced some truly tremendous films, and this is an example of one of them. It was well written, well acted, and well received.

Gender Neutral Pronouns

So, recently I've been running into a lot of gender neutral pronouns (ze, hir, etc) and I also got to thinking about a conversation Telemachus Two and I had a little while ago. Most of the time I really do think that I am just as liberal as I am, sort of because I have to be. I mean, how much of "the man" can I be? A triple minority does not have the luxury to do so. Yet, at the same time, when I can be, I am pretty much conservative in my beliefs in terms of government and a bit of societal structures. Now, before you start trying to get my gay card back, I'm not saying that if I was straight I'd be all against gay marriage or anything of the sort, its just that I am all for equality, but just have a thing against hippies or left-wing liberals. Rather than fight against something, I say become a part of it and change from with in.

But anyway, back to gender neutral pronouns. For some reason, "ze" and "hir" really grate at my skin. It's not that I have anything against the trans community, just gender neutral pronouns. While there are many people even within the trans community that do go by either "he" or "she," I have been running into those that use "ze" or "hir." And yes, I've read the articles, understand their logic, binary etc etc, but I just.... Like my girlfriend says, it could just be, that like most people, when it comes to language, you are pretty much taught the basic structures of the language and where things fall into place, and since "ze" and "hir" go against that, I have a problem with it. So alas, this is where I stand.

I can see how people feel that they don't necessarily stand in one binary or another, believe me, I really do. And I'm not saying that I do not support those who do go with gender neutral pronouns or am against the trans community, but come on. give me a break. And yes, I know, I'm not offering solutions, just my opinion.

Really?

It just amazes me how ignorant people can be online and in the world. I was recently on afterellen.com and there was an article about the ABC special about a mtf transition, and how it was going to affect her family, her wife, her life, etc.

First off, there were a couple things with the previews for the episode that I had trouble with. Granted, I did not see the program, so I do not know how much of what was portrayed in the commercials was portrayed in the actual show. It seemed to me to look like it wasn't so much the process, but how it was going to negatively affect the family and children. Rather than highlighting the good, it was showing the bad. It was making the trans issue a "family secret," which is completely unacceptable.

Now, back to what angered me even more. In the comments area, one woman actually said how she could not understand why someone would do that, and instead just stay the way he was. This was completely disrespectful to the trans community as a whole. I mean, it is pretty well known that there is some friction between the trans and lgb community (ahem...HRC?) and a part of that may come from ignorance or just close-mindedness. But to just brush off the experience of another human being and look down upon is ridiculous. Especially as a member of the lgb community... really? You are really going to do that. Amazing.

I am glad that so many people called out the OP for her downright ignorant statement. I am glad that people brought it into her own frame of reference and how people could say "ooh, I don't know why she's gay, she might as well stay straight." There are people out there who think before they speak. But I guess I am just flabbergasted that this is even happening.