Latino film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Latino film - Essay Example In later scenes, to cope with the hardships and growing hostility from her husband, she ends up throwing her husband out of her home. Even after this rough and hard decision, she still had to manage her life with the growing wave of revolution around her. The movie revolves around the typical life of a Cuban woman who had to deal with all the hardships and struggle despite being the fragile part of the society without any support from her husband and family. Many people underestimate the power of women during the times of war and revolution. During the wave of feminist movement in 1960 women played their roles as efficient workers and home makers at the same time. On the other hand, comparing the movie with another Hollywood’s revolutionary film, Salt of the Earth, triggered the critics to look into a different direction for its content and subject. The latter movie holds the same revolutionary wave with women in the leading roles as it has been depicted in Portrait of Teresa. The character of Esperanza was supported by showcasing the rapidly growing women’s movement. The character of Esperanza is shown coping with the troubles of unionism, leftists and at the same time, the emerging wave of feminism. In both the movies a strong wave of feminism can be felt. However, in the Portrait of Teresa, the movie revolved around the struggles of one woman whereas in Salt of the Earth, the subject of the movie projects the struggle of Esperanza with her sisters. But their struggle for sexual equality is the central idea that has been projected in both the movies. Women have been portrayed as the strongest gender as compared to men despite social barriers and minimum exposure to the world outside. Both the characters had to bear the same strenuous household responsibilities and later with their keen participation in the movement, they had to bear the disapproval of their involvement in the movement from their husbands. The theme of both the movies revolves ar ound one thought - how to survive the struggle for your rights in a subjugated society filled with gender discrimination and bias. Both of the women are tied to fulfill their gender roles assigned to them by their societal traditions with little room to be accepted as anything other than a typical homemaker. Teresa’s resentment over inequality and growing anger over her husband’s ill treatment clearly project the time when women were gaining empowerment and awareness of the unfair living conditions and treatment. Similarly, in Salt of the Earth, Esperanza holds the same state of mind, when she was greatly undermined by her husband’s judgmental statement and strikes back in a bitter tone, â€Å"Have your strike. I’ll have my baby, but no hospital will take me, because I’ll be a striker’s wife. The store will cut off our credit, and the kids will go hungry . . . and then they’ll come and take away the radio† (Salt of the Earth, p .10). Even at this point, her husband scorns her while chastising for fear of losing the radio and being more self-concerned. Women are emotionally vulnerable but deep down inside they tend to project the stronger side of their personality, especially in times of stress. All in all, the movie Portrait of Teresa is a poignant movie which depicts the contradictions which exist in the male dominated Cuban society, no matter how much the Cuban Revolution and its ideals have attempted to bring women to the