American Me Edward James Olmos’ interpretation of the book of the same name. He directed. The film traces the life of Santana from his youth through his emergence as the leader of “La M” a Chicano prison gang.

Rosalinda Fregoso’s critique Considered it a “distopian vision”—due to its excessive violence and negative portrait of some aspects of Chicano culture. Film “may normalize dominant culture’s view of Chicanos as poverty-infested gangs” augment society’s stereotypes of Chicanos’ criminality. Avoids deeper analysis of the causes of gang culture, such as alienation, material and spiritual support, poverty, unemployment, underemployment. The film promotes the notion of the dysfunctional family as the root cause of gang involvement.

Critiques, continued Julie as the “glimmer of hope” Julie rejects gang culture, escapes the “patriarchy” of gang involvement by refusing to accept the Saint Dismas medal sent to her from prison by Santana. Survives the rape. “Civilizes” Santana: dance, shoes, love, food. Also seen as the source of Santana’s weakness, through the possibility of heterosexual love, vs. homoerotics of gang members.

Fregoso critique, cont. Santana’s mother (women): mythic origin of Santana’s deviance, Santana as a product of violence, rape—not love. Olmosian version of the birth myth of the Mexican through the Zoot-Suit Riots. Octavio Paz: origins of Mexican birth through sexual violence—The Labyrinth of Solitude A neo-Malinchista—Malintzin Tenempal Santana as the archetypal mestizo product of the violent union between two cultures, ala the Mexican mythical birth experience—Octavio Paz.

Closing Scene Drive-by shooting from the audience’s point of view. Audience witnesses “as victim” the male- male rupture (schism between J.D. and Santana) Generational loss-due to the extreme youth of the shooter. Violence is random—aimed at the audience.

Las Tres Evas 1. Eva del jardin 2. Malintzin Tenempal—La Segunda Eva 3. Santana’s mother: origins of his deviance Julie—the antithesis of las tres evas.