Vanessa Erazo asked a very good question in a very good piece on IndieWire’s LatinoBuzz last week. It’s been a long, long time, she points out, since a movie by, about, and for Latinos has made any kind of splash in the theatrical arena. And right now, Latino Hollywood may be buzzing about Filly Brown, but it very much remains to be seen if it really will be given the chance to grow that it richly deserves.
The film stars a can’t-miss combination of established crossover stars like Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips, high-profile newcomers like Gina Rodriguez, and highly popular music sensations like the late Jenni Rivera, as well as a kick-ass hip-hop music score. Shouldn’t that be more than enough to get it into literally thousands of screens? And if it does break into the upper echelons–which, quite frankly it should have already—shouldn’t the huge number of Latino theater-goers make it a hit? What does make a hit for Latinos? And why have so many recent films missed the mark?
Erazo has a lot of smart things to say on the subject…and so do the people who have commented on her article in the last few days. It’s also worth noting that Filly Brown is about to pass the $2.5 million mark in domestic box office, which–small as that is–puts it ahead or on par with recent films like Girl in Progress and far ahead of Oscar nominee A Better Life.
So what does make the difference between hit and forget-it? Established stars don’t seem to work–look at NO, starring Gael Garcia Bernal. Terrible box-office receipts. Well-known material like Bless Me, Ultima is no guarantee either. And yes, it would be nice to think that quality films get the edge in distribution and with audiences, but even that’s not necessarily the case: Will Ferrell’s Casa de mi Padre, certainly can’t lay claim to high-quality content, but it made substantially more than any other Latino film last year. So will grassroots campaigns and relentless social media efforts turn the tide, and get young, English-speaking Latinos into see films?
See what Erazo’s piece and its readers have to say here.
Among the comments:
“When Persepolis cleared $23m+ on a $7.3m budget, it wasn’t because it was marketed as a Persian/French animated film. It was because it was a great film that got a great viral push. American Me, Stand and Deliver, Zoot Suit and La Bamba were great films. Bless Me Ultima, Go For It and I imagine Filly Brown cannot hold the weight of the craft.” Sergio
“I would kill to see something that doesn’t apply the same tired tropes like dozens of others. Could it be that the lack of explicitly Latin films is symptomatic of a climate where there is a sort of identity fatigue from the larger public? I mean, it seems after 9/11, we’ve been obsessed with showcasing our sameness.” – Eddy Martinez
“Deep inside all of us, I believe, we want to see ourselves and our fellow Latinos succeed tremendously, often regardless of whether the “product” is one of excellence or one that is not bad, but not amazing. After all we have experienced being marginalized for so long in a country where our heritage and our history rightly deserves to be honored and recognized. But, are we here in this country to succeed in selling record box office tickets or are we here in this country to succeed in making excellent films and storytelling? I don’t think, for whatever reasons, they go hand in hand sometimes.” – Mauricio Alexander
LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. It’s written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo. You can follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
