Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas
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Movie Reviews of Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas
Movie Review: Grateful Nuyorican...
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm 24 yrs old, born in the Bronx, 100% Boricua and I'm so thankful that Rosie did this project. I was able to relate to it easily, I was drawn by the information provided and the places visited and it truly inspired me to want to go deeper into my history as a puertorrique?a... I feel that Rosie did an excellent job, and i'm not looking at it as a student, activist, intellectual, i saw it as a young women flipping channels and happened to catch the first minutes of it on the Independent Film Channel and was hooked. I'm glad she didn't put more into it b/c it left me wanting to do some research of my own but I'm glad that she related herself and some of her own family "bochinche" to help those watching realize that we are all alike... Please support this documentary, it may pave the way for others to come that may suffice in the areas in which this one may have lacked for some.Movie Review: Elementary view for those who are just looking in
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes it was great to watch and entertaining in that if you are PR yourself and have no idea about your culture you should watch this as it would whett your appetite and perhaps open the door to looking further into your culture. Emeterio Betances needs more mention, the African ancestry needs more mention otherwise pretty good. I felt that Rosie mentioning that Albizu's Campos was our Che' was a bit much. Yes there are similiarities but if you are going to mention him in such a way give the background on both.
I think that it is important to also remind people that although we are different we are the same. No culture is better that the other just different and should be appreciated as such
Movie Review: Puerto Ricans 101
Summary: 4 Stars
This film consists of two dynamics. First, Rosie and some of her same-age relatives visit the Island, discuss family history, attend the Puerto Rican Parade in New York, etc. Second, Jimmy Smits narrates important parts of Puerto Rican, including Nuyorican history, such as Taino culture, governmental sterilization, military exploitation of Vieques, etc.
Some have critiqued the documentary saying it is too-focused on Rosie and that she somewhat "dumbs down" the subject matter. However, I think Rosie produced and directed it and so this may be her first ventures in those positions. I also think her presence was to make the work easily viewable by laypeople and not just academics, activists, and students. The documentary tries hard to interview men and women equally, but it still leans more toward men. Thus, Rosie's presence may be a gender-mitigating matter. I really think this work is meant for young Puerto Ricans to see. Thus, I am surprised that it has so much cursing in it. Jimmy Smits did an excellent job in narrating the work. I hope that he gets more narration opportunities as Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, and Harvey Fierstein have.
Given time and budget constraints, this work had to cursorily touch many issues. Still, I thought more could have been said about Puerto Rican music and syncretic religious practices. Rosie and her relative Sixto mention African ancestry as if it were just one of many flavors in the Puerto Rican mix. However, huge percentages of Caribbeans are part-Black and I wish this had been emphasized. Jimmy Smits too skips over Black matters by first talking about the indigenous islanders and then skipping to the American capture of the island from the Spanish. The more than 300 years of African slavery that only ended in 1873 barely comes up. Rosie refers to Dr. Albizu Campos as "our Martin Luther King," but no one mentions the many similarities between the Puerto Rican Young Lords and the African-American Black Panthers. This is odd given that I heard Black Americans and Puerto Ricans get along really well in New York City, especially among the elected officials.
This would be a great work for those who do not anything about Puerto Ricans. I think this would be great to watch alongside of reading "Puerto Ricans in the United States" by Maria Perez y Gonzalez.