National Themes Essay Plan

1. How has a broader study of national context given you greater

insight into your chosen films?
2. How far do the films that you have studied for this topic deal with
specific national themes and issues?
3. How far can it be said that the films you have studied for this topic
reflect national themes in the stories they tell?
4. What have you discovered about your chosen national cinema from
making a comparison of major themes in the films you have studied for
this topic?

National Themes/national context: Issues and ideas pertaining to Mexico

National Themes we could talk about:

Mexican Culture (family scene in caf and money for the queen)
Poverty (statistics)
Class (statistics)
Politics (political parties, dates of change, effect etc)
Relationship to America (crossing boarder statistics yellow booklet
and wiki)
Changing Mexico (changing society demographics)
Religion (how many people are Catholics wiki)
Crime and violence (find out crime statistics yellow booklet)

Choose about 5 to write about and put in the order youd write about them.

REMEMBER YOU NEED TO WRITE ABOUT AT LEAST THREE FILMS

Intro: Reword the question to say how the films youve studied demonstrate
national themes. Make sure you name the films, spelling them correctly, and use
correct sourcing (Director year). Spell the directors names correctly.

Point: Use words from the question and state the national theme you will
discuss in this para.

Example: Specific example from the film/s

Explanation: Explain how the examples from the film exemplify the national
theme youre talking about. How do the characters or situations reflect the
theme? How are they affected by the theme?

Link: Can you link out to any facts or statistics about Mexico and the theme?
Link back to the question.

Notes from Y Tu Mama:

Politics: Film is set at a time of imminent political change the film

ends with us hearing about the change in government , Julios sister
heavily involved in left wing politics. Wearing combat clothes. People
fighting for change, President at the wedding and then we saw him going
off to talk about the massacre, Said twice in the manifesto that you cant
 support America Mexico as opposed to America, Tenochs dad and the
scandal contaminated food for the poor, Tenochs dad being big in
politics.

Class: Class divide between T and J. T is very rich and privileged

and called his nanny mummy until he was four, J is lower middle class, T
is going to uni while J is going to community college suspect this will
influence their life prospects, Used class-based insults during their
argument white trash and a peasant, and a yuppie, T made to choose
economics class expectations, Working class migrant man who died on
road run over due to poor placement of bridge to get to his labouring job.
The isolation of migrants as he wasnt claimed for days, References to
economic migrants people moving throughout the country to find better
prospects, Chuy loses his livelihood when a luxury hotel is built, tried to go
elsewhere to fish but was forced out, ended up as a janitor at the hotel,
Changing nature of Mexico and the impact on peoples lives.

Culture and Heritage: Opposition against America, Changing

culture of Mexico the hotel being built, Donations for the queen, Shrines
along the road strong sense of Mexican culture and tradition, Lots of
shots of landscape.

Notes from AP:

Violence: dog fighting (illegal) money Armed robbery money, Ramiro beaten
up revenge attack, Ocatavio stabs Jericho in revenge for shooting his dog,
Assassinations money, Domestic violence (Ramiro against Susana, Ramiro and
Octavio against each other) unhappiness and power, The two brothers captured
by El Chivo money, allegations, power, mistrust

Class and Money: O&S: Not rich, the house was small and quite run down, five
people living there quite cramped. O tried to get S to run away with him when
he had money. O doing illegal dog fighting for money and R holding up shops for
extra money. R was the only one with a proper job. Working class family

V&D: Middle class people. D had a very nice big house, worked in the media
magazine editor. Also bought nice apartment for him and V. Did not have enough
money to fix the floor though.

El Chivo: Actually had a lot of money but chose to live as the underclass. He
chose to remove himself from society. Politics he had become a guerrilla to try
to change society.