Cinco días sin Nora (Mariana Chenillo)

Cinco días sin Nora (2008)

The humor in the film Cinco días sin Nora (Nora´s Will) by Mexican film director Mariana Chenillo is dry and subtle, but very witty. It a good film through which to explore the themes of religion, death, the importance of family, and interpersonal relationships.  Read the film synopsis and view the trailer here.

As if on cue, the first words that my students used to describe the the film included "extraña". Weird.  They were uncomfortable with the way in which death was presented.  They thought it was odd that Nora's cadaver was kept in the apartment for five days.  They were bothered by Nora's two young granddaughters playing in the empty coffin. I couldn't have asked for a better reaction from which to explore the treatment of death in Mexican and non-Mexican cultures, which was exactly what I had planned to do in my advanced level course on literature and film by women.

Religion is also a major theme in the film.  Cinco días sin Nora presents us with characters who are deeply committed to their religious (or anti-religious) values, and invites us to explore what role religion plays in society and in our personal lives.  Mexico, of course, is predominately catholic.  Although official census statistics show a widening mix of religious and non-religious beliefs in the county, 82.7% of the population still self-identifies as catholic.  4.7% of the population identifies as Jewish, and 0.006% of the population identifies as non-religious. All three of these perspectives are show in Cinco días sin Nora, as Nora's family and close friends, including her ex-husband (atheist), son (Jewish), and housekeeper (Catholic) each have very differing views on both how Nora's body should be prepared for burial, and where she should be buried.  As Nora's death was a suicide, there are added complications that are also viewed through a religious lens.

(On a side note, Ilan Stavan's explains the presence of Jewish culture in Mexico very well in his book Singer's Typewriter and Mine: Reflections on Jewish Culture (University of Nebraska Press, 2012). The book is quite interesting if you are interested in the subject.)

This film also lends itself well to the study of camera angles (plano largo / largo ancho, plano medio, primer plano).  The opening sequence is shot almost entirely in primer plano, and the closing sequence contrasts nicely, focusing on similar elements, but using a variety of shots.  Both the opening and closing sequence focus on the dining room table, and watching them consecutively in class gives students the opportunity to explore the symbolism of the table, and to reflect on the various interpersonal power struggles seen throughout the movie.

Here is how I used the film in my advanced film class:

Previewing:

• review census data on religion in Mexico

While viewing outside of class:

• comprehension and analysis questions on the film's narrative structure, portrayal of religion, character development, etc.

Post viewing:

• in-class review of homework questions
• study of camera angles
• in-class viewing of opening and closing sequences
• in-class writing assignment on the portrayal of religion in the movie
• students read a fragment of the essay “Todos Santos, Día de Muertos”by Octavio Paz (included in his El laberinto de la soledad) for homework and answer questions,  exploring perceptions of death in Mexican and U.S. cultures.

También la lluvia (Icíar Bollían)

También la lluvia (2010) is the fifth feature-length film by Spanish film director Icíar Bollían and is a wonderful film for both the high school and university Spanish classroom.  The script is the work of Paul Laverty, Bollían´s longtime partner, and the film features big-name actors such as Luis Tosar (who appears in many of Bollían´s films) and Gael García Bernal.

Set in Bolivia in the year 2000, the film follows the action of a film crew which has arrived in Bolivia to shoot a movie about the arrival of the Christopher Columbus and the Spanish to the Americas over 500 years ago.  Woven throughout both the fictitious film about the conquest and También la lluvia are the themes of imperialism and the oppression of the indigenous peoples of Spanish-speaking America.  It is a complex story that explores many different cultural topics appropriate for the Spanish-language classroom.  Additionally, the movie itself is cinematographically stunning with beautiful vistas of Bolivia and well constructed scenes and sequences.  Plus, También la lluvia is readily available to rent, purchase and stream through both Netflix and Amazon.

I have taught this film in my 300 level survey of Spanish and Latin American film course* and it was very popular with the students.  Our previewing activities in this course include vocabulary and grammar study (to help students better understand and discuss the films), 7-8 minute cultural presentations by students (on cultural topics related to the film), and a preview of specific themes or cinematographic elements that I want students to take note of while they are watching.  All films are seen outside of class with accompanying comprehension and analysis questions to be answered, with post-viewing class time devoted to follow-up discussions, in-class writing assignments and explorations of ancillary materials related to the films (such as "making of" videos, reading and responding to movie reviews, etc.)

Possible student presentations on cultural topics:

• Indigenous peoples in the Americas before the conquest
• An overview of the Spanish conquest (dates, goals, and realities)
• Bartolomé de las Casas and "La Leyenda Negra"
• "La Guerra del Agua" in Bolivia 2000
• Evo Morales

For those who are interested in teaching film as a visual literature, También la lluvia offers an intriguing study of narrative structure as it interweaves the fictitious film about the Spanish conquest, a documentary shot by the film crew of this fictitious film, and the story of the making of this film itself.  There are several sequences that highlight the parallels in the treatment of the indigenous peoples of present day Bolivia (both by the government and by the film crew) to the the treatment of the indigenous peoples during the conquest.  The ever present christian cross as a symbol of both faith and oppression makes for a wonderful study of symbols and symbolism.   And there are several "making of" videos available on YouTube and on the CIMA (Asociación de Mujeres Cineastas de Medios Audiovisuales) website that bring the process of making the film to life for the students. 

I have used two earlier films by Icíar Bollían in my classroom as well and, although they are both wonderful films, they are more appropriate for the university setting and not for high school.  Flores de otro mundo centers on the themes of Caribbean immigrants in Spain (and the resulting racism and xenophobia), the depopulation of rural Spain, and interpersonal relationships.  This film benefits from plenty of exploration and analysis in the classroom, but can be successfully be used in a survey course.  Te doy mis ojos is a powerful film about domestic violence that should be limited to advanced, mature audiences only.  I have taught the film in my 400 junior/senior seminar, but only with an alternative offered to those students who may find the subject too graphic.


*I use the textbook Cinema for Spanish Conversation from Focus Publishing in this course (which I quite like), but typically create my own lesson for 2-3 movies that are not included in the text.

0 y Presidente Evo Morales

El cortometraje "La boda" por Marina Seresesky

Otro curso mío este semestre se enfoca en la redacción y la lectura.  Los alumnos tienen un nivel intermedio-alto y este curso es un requisito para ellos antes de que comiencen con sus cursos al nivel avanzado.  Hay varias unidades en el texto que usamos, y uno de ellas se trata del tema de la migración de gente por el mundo.  Nos enfocamos en los países de México, España y los EEUU, estudiando la migración de mexicanos (y otros) a los EEUU y la población inmigrante en España.

En nuestro estudio de España leemos dos lecturas: una sobre la multiculturalidad en el barrio de Lavapiés en Madrid y otro sobre las dificultades que se enfrentan ¨los extranjeros¨ desde el punto de vista de un español.  Este año encontré un vídeo genial sobre Tapapiés que les retrata perfectamente a los alumnos los temas que han leído e incluso les ofrece la oportunidad para ver los cambios de actitud hacia la multiculturalidad del barrio en los últimos diez años.

La actividad final que hacemos sobre España, es ver el cortometraje de Marina Seresesk (Argentina), La Boda (2012).  El corto ya ha ganado muchos premios y nominaciones.

La película se trata, como explica la página Madridendorto.es,  una inmigrante cubana viviendo en Madrid:  ¨ Mirta es cubana y vive en Madrid. Como muchas inmigrantes trabaja en la limpieza. Hoy a las seis de la tarde se casa su hija. Pero nada sale como ella planea, y llegar a esa boda es más difícil de lo que parece.¨

A solamente 12 minutos de duración, el corto es perfecto para mostrar en clase.  Después de verlo, los alumnos trabajaron en grupos para enumerar los obstáculos con que se enfrentó Mirta, y las soluciones que encontró ella.  También hicieron algunas actividades, utilizando los temas gramaticales que están estudiando (situaciones hipotéticas), relacionado con la trama del corto.

El corto retrata bien algunas dificultades típicas de inmigrantes sin papeles, como la dificultad de encontrar trabajo estable y con jefes compresivos, el temor de las redadas,  y, sobre todo, la dificultad de estar lejos de familiares  Todos los alumnos se rieron de la acción traviesa por Marta y su amiga para conseguir un vestido para Mirta y se sorprendieron con el final agridulce.  Es perfecto para mostrar la cara humana de la vida de inmigrante. 

More Spanish-Language Oscar Contenders

The blog Latin American Film has a great post that summarizes some of the Spanish-language film nominations for the 86th Academy Awards.  I have not seen any of these films yet, but there are several that pique my interest.

OSCAR watch: Official entry for Spain is "15 años y un día"

Gracia Querejeta´s latest film, 15 años y un día, is Spain´s official entry for the 2014 Academy Awards.  It is only the second Spanish film directed by a woman to be selected as the country´s official entry. (Icíar Bollían´s También la lluvia was the official entry in 2010 and made the "short list" by the Academy, although it did not make the list of 5 official nominees.)

I saw this film when I was in Madrid in June and loved it!  As I left the theater, I wondered if the film would make it to the U.S. market, and with its recent selection to represent Spain at the Oscars, I am now hopeful that it will be available to educations here in the U.S.

It is a great film for both the high school and college classrooms, with a 15 year old protagonist, Jon, who struggles with family issues, school issues, friendship issues, bullying....much the same issues that a U.S. teenager faces.

The field for this Oscar category is large (the five official nominees won´t be announced until January) and 15 años y un día seems, unfortunately, to be a long-shot, at best, to win.  It is still a great movie that I hope educators here in the U.S. get a chance to see.

My recent RIFLA presentation

Well, here it is November 1 and I still have made my first "real" post on this blog.  I think of blogging often, and draft many blog posts in my head, usually as I commute to and from work, but never seem to carve out the time I need to sit down and write.  So, to get things moving, today I will post a slightly modified version of my October presentation at the Rhode Island Foreign Language Association (RIFLA) annual conference. The presentation, "Film in the Spanish-Language Classroom: Spotlight on Female Directors", focused primarily on my recent research on female film directors of Spain, Mexico, and Argentina.  It was meant as an introduction to films that other educations could incorporate into their own classes - both at the high school and college levels - and resulted in a great conversation among the small, but seemingly interested audience.  I have taught all of the featured films in at least one of my classes, and each film in this presentation deserves it's own blog post to better explore themes and to further discuss it's applicability to the Spanish language classroom. Perhaps those posts will appear over the next few months, but for now I will start with this. (Click the link to see the presentation.)