Quinceañera

… is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday in many Latino cultures. If there is an equivalent thing for boys, I don’t know about it. It’s like a Bar (and more recently, Bat) Mitzvah, in that you’re coming of age, but you don’t have to study for it. It’s also like a debutante ball, though Latinos often do those in addition to the Quinceañera. They can be simple, held at home, or big elaborate things held in fancy places. Here in Los Angeles they are big business. You can go down to the clothing district and see shop after shop that deals in Quinceañera dresses, as well as wedding gowns, and duds for the attendants, who usually number 14.

This film was shot in Echo Park, one of our favorite neighborhoods, and so qualifies for that new genre we are enjoying so much: The Los Angeles movie. “Look, there’s that mural on Sunset! And there’s that pathway along the hill I like so much!” It’s also a family movie—meaning about a family—and an ethnic movie, giving us glimpse into cultures other than the ones we know too well. So it’s got lots of things going for it. It begins and ends with a Quinceañera. It is well-written and includes a lot of people new to the movies, and was made for $400,000, which qualifies it as a credit card movie these days. It is not over-acted nor overwrought about the problems of these people, though I guess you’d have to say it’s not overly original, as well. There’s nothing brand new here, but it is all so honest and simple that we enjoyed it immensely.