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nannagardener
Reviews
Benavides Born (2011)
A coming-of-age story set in our little-known "back yard": definitely go see it.
The Hispanic population of the U.S. is our fastest-growing segment, yet we know so little about the Hispanic-Americans, who have lived in the southwest for generations. Here is a big little movie that tells that story, and much more. It is a coming-of-age story of a young S. Texas woman who is recognizable to all of us (men and women, Hispanic and Caucasian) who were young once and kept making mistakes. A realistic ending does not diminish the triumph, not only for Luz, but for her family, a poor family that sticks together though thick and thin. And there is plenty of thin in their lives and community. I loved all the characters, especially the grandmother...maybe because I am one. I loved the see-saw between small comic moments and big awful scenes. I saw this movie in a packed theater on the last day of the Sundance Film Festival. I would recommend the film to anyone who is dying for a good story, well-told and well-acted, about a part of our country that is our "back yard", yet so little known.