Mosquita y Mari (FILM REVIEW)
Mosquita y Mari
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Coming-of-Age Drama Revolves around Lesbian-Curious Latinas
Besides being 15 year-old Chicanas, Yolanda “Mosquita” Olveros (Fenessa Pineda) and
Mari Rodriguez (Venecia Troncoso) are about as different as night and day. The
former is a straight-A student and the only child of overprotective parents (Joaquin
Garrido and Laura Patalano) with high expectations for their dutiful daughter.
The latter, by contrast, is a relatively-troubled rebel being raised by an
overwhelmed widow (Dulce Maria Solis) who’s been struggling just to keep a roof
over their heads since entering the U.S. illegally after the death of
her husband.
The
Rodriguez’s plight as undocumented immigrants means that Mari has to work part-time
to help out her mom financially, a burden that has taken a toll on the kid academically.
Consequently, the grieving, underachieving street urchin has learned to mask
her pain with a tough “I could care less” veneer.
Mari
and Mosquita’s paths do cross when the Rodriguez family moves next-door to the
Olveros in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood located in the Huntington
Park area of L.A.
The two sophomores initially forge a grudging friendship at school, trading off
tutoring in geometry for protection from a clique of mean girls.
But
soon, they’re happily spending so much time together in the afternoons and
evenings that Mari loses her job while Mosquita’s grades start to suffer. The
plot thickens as it becomes clear that these polar opposites are not only lesbian-curious but experiencing
barely-contained pangs of puppy love for each other.
Tension
builds as the schoolgirl crush blossoms into a passion simmering close to the
surface as each waits for the other to make the first a move. But the best these
awkward neophytes can do is snuggle under a blanket while studying and scribble
their names in a dirty automobile’s dust.
Finally,
the moment of truth arrives after a handsome boy asks attractive Mosquita for a
date around the same time that a seedy man offers cash-strapped Mari money for
sexual favors. At that point, obviously, something’s gotta give.
The question is whether or not they’re ready to
take a big leap.
Marking
the marvelous writing and directorial debut of Aurora Guerrero, Mosquita y Mari
is a subtle exploration of coming out from the perspective of introspective
adolescents at an awkward age. However, the movie has much more to offer, as it
is equally sensitive in its examination of a variety of issues of urgent concern
to the Latino community.
To think that in just one generation
we’ve gone from Chico
and the Man to Chica and the Girl!
Excellent
(4 stars)
Unrated
In Spanish and English with subtitles
Running time: 85 minutes
Distributor: The Film
Collaborative
To see a trailer for Mosquita
y Mari, visit:
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