Tortilla Soup

          When looking at the movie Tortilla Soup from an educational standpoint, so many things beyond the basic plot line came up. Of particular interest was the fact that very rarely was the issue of being an Mexican-American family addressed. There were a few times when the culture was specifically referenced, but not enough to be the actual focus of the dialogue amongst the characters. It became far more prevalent and powerful that way I think. This way the audience understands that this is not something that the family sees as a negative thing. Instead, the differences that they experience coming from a Mexican heritage make them more independent and proud even if there are still drawbacks. Three parts of the movie were of particular interest to me when considering the positionality of the characters.

            The first time that really struck me was when the father was speaking with someone that he was close friends with at the restaurant. Since the father abhors the use of Spanish and English together, he constantly insists that one language be spoken throughout an interaction with someone. On this particular occasion, the two men were conversing about their families in Spanish. The conversation was about family, and seemed very emotional, especially for the father. The version of the film that I watched did not include subtitles,. and I do not speak Spanish. I thought about attempting to find a translation of this part of the film, but during that process I realized that the specific things the men were saying did not actually matter. I do not think it was an accident that this was the first time we see both of the male characters in this film get very emotional and this was the first time that Spanish was predominantly used in the dialogue. The director wanted us to see that emotion ties in very closely into culture, and this family seems to value their Mexican heritage far more than their American life style. There is an ethnocentric attitude about their interactions, but it is never really done from a negative perspective. Instead, the strong ties to culture are brought out during the most emotional moments. When thinking about how to apply this concept to actual practices, it would be important to understand that sometimes the parts of our brain most closely tied to strong emotions and connections are the ones that are rooted deepest in our own identities.

            The second scene that was slightly more light hearted while being of particular interest was when Maribel and Andy are in Andy’s loft. Andy says that he knows how to speak four languages and the two joke that they do not really know what to call someone who does have that skill. They continue on by saying someone who knows two languages is bilingual and someone who only knows one language is an American. The joke is light hearted and funny, but it does show us that Maribel, the youngest daughter does see herself as an outsider in many ways. The effect that positionality has had on her comes out even when she is joking about the presence of culture. On that same line of thought, the constant value that is placed on cultures that are not mainstream American systematically devalue American culture when they are identified. To be sure, this is not to say that this is a bad thing one way or the other, but it is undeniable that some kind of dichotomy has to exist. One cannot hold two separate cultures to be completely equal in all aspects, and that is certainly true from this movie. Clearly the characters value cultural aspects such as family loyalty, the importance of excellent food, and versatile language skills more than the typical American family does. This is important for us during praxis, because we need to walk a fine line between valuing the cultures of others while still holding onto the American values that we hold in high regard.

            The third point of interest is tied in with the second. Andy’s views about being able to experience life without school or a solid career are contrary to the way that Maribel has been raised. She has two sisters with firm careers that they appear to enjoy and thrive in, and her father’s dedication to his particular craft is impressive to say the least. However, these values are questioned when Andy makes the idea of living as a semi-nomad sound very appealing. I am a firm believer that you cannot really understand or believe in your own value system until it is confronted with the opposite approach. That is why this interaction was so interesting for me. Maribel comes from a family where specific values have been outlined. However, when she sees someone who rejects the values of those in the status quo even more than her own family she begins to wonder how far the line can really be pushed with her already rebellious spirit.

 The cultural viewpoints addressed here are interesting, because Maribel still considers herself and American while Andy presumably does not. Their mindsets are different even when it comes to minor things such as the tidiness of the house. This is important for us to understand not only as teachers but as people interacting with other people. The level of assimilation to the American mindset is very important when understanding a student’s specific value system. It is paramount that teachers acknowledge what is important to specific cultures or families so that we can utilize these perspectives in the classroom.

I really did enjoy Tortilla Soup as a film. Looking at it from the standpoint of someone trying to gauge the importance of culture and the grand narrative of specific students made it even better, and it showed me a level of depth in culture specific films that I had not previously understood.