FILM REVIEW: CESAR CHAVEZ

A scene from Cesar Chavez.

Sí lo hicieron!

By John Esther

It has been a long time coming, but finally somebody has made a theatrical film about Cesar Chavez. And it is my favorite 2014 film, so far. 

Born March 31, 1927, in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez grew up knowing what it was like to be exploited. After the Chavez's lost their home during the Depression, they worked in the fields for very little compensation. As all hands were needed in the field, Chavez did not attend school past the 7th grade.

After serving two years in the Navy, Chavez returned to the fields. From there he quickly rose through the ranks of the American labor movement working for the CSO (Community Service Organization), a humans rights organization which encouraged Latinos to register to vote.

In the early 1960s Chavez started focusing on the farm workers of Central California. While the workers of the United States had gained considerable rights since the 1930s, the Latino (and Filipino) workers who mined the agricultural crops in Salinas, Fresno, etc., were left behind to toil in working conditions too similar to those found in the recent film, 12 Years a Slave -- which took place 100 years prior to the time of Cesar Chavez.

To any person with an ounce of tenderness, this was unacceptable. But anger and indignation were hardly enough to start an organized labor movement. The poor workers were scared and rightfully so. They could be fired, deported, beaten and, in a few cases, killed, without any legal recourse. Even if the workers were not afraid, white people, who were raised racist, were afraid of the Other. Any attempt to win over the hearts and minds of the dominant race had to be done through peaceful resistance. 

So in the early 1960s Cesar (Michael Peña) and Helen (America Ferrara) packed up their kids and drove toward the fields of Central Valley, California (in a scene which may be amusing to racists) and began to organize the men, women and children who were being exploited by unbridled capitalism. (If you want to see what the U.S. would look like without a federal minimum wage, see Cesar Chavez.)

Helen (America Ferrara) and Cesar (Michael Peña) in Cesar Chavez.

Fortunately, this is where the film begins. Rather than dwell on Cesar's childhood and other phenomena as to what motivated Cesar, his lack of education, his service in the Navy, etc., -- although we do get pieces of the puzzle along the way -- the film focuses on Cesar's brilliant non-violent organizing skills and the founding of the National Farm Workers Association, AKA the United Farm Workers (UFW). Moreover, to focus solely on Cesar's biography would betray the film's underlying message: Cesar could not have made the kind of history attributed to him without the help of countless others (see War and Peace).  

Rather than offer the typical Hollywood hagiography (see Noah) about how one man changes the course of history, director Diego Luna, along with co-writers Keir Pearson and Timothy J. Sexton, illustrate that great change comes from the multitude of players involved in any movement. 

Helen Chavez. A woman of fierce convictions, Helen was no stranger to radical protest and getting her hands good and dirty. She may have been the mother of eight children, but Helen was not going to submit to any Latino machismo ideas about taking a backseat -- domestically or politically. (Pardon me: The scene in Cesar Chavez where Helen deliberately gets arrested for defiantly yelling the banned word, "Huelga" or "Strike" may be the hottest scene of any woman in film this year. A woman who does not "know her place" is extremely attractive.) 

Cesar Chavez also takes the time and effort to illustrate the contributions of UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta (Rosario Dawson). Not only was she a force in working class solidarity, but sisterhood solidarity as well. The UFW would never have succeeded without the participation of so many brave women.

Then there was Gilbert Padilla (Yancy Arias), the UFW area director, who provided structure by establishing service centers where people could convene, organize and strategize. Then there was Cesar's younger brother, Richard Chavez (Jacob Vargas), who had his older brother's back and counseled wisely when Cesar's emotions got the better of him. They and others, from here to Europe, created the solidarity necessary for positive change.

Indeed, Luna and film editors Douglas Crise and Miguel Schverdfinger take the appropriate efforts to show the numerous faces of a movement. A movement by "an army of boycotters" that sparked a statewide, then nationwide, then worldwide boycott of table grapes. 

To the film's credit, it also reminds us what an extraordinary politician, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (Jack Holmes) was to the working class. Kennedy actually visited the epicenter of the strike and boycott, talking to the people and challenging the belligerent local authorities to read the U.S. Constitution. His behavior was a stark contrast to then-California Governor Ronald Reagan, who called the grape boycott "immoral" and the collaboration of then-U.S. President Richard Nixon (who was born in California), to get the military to subsidize the grape growers in order to break the proletarian defiance. 

Cesar may have been the auteur of the crew, but as any organizer or filmmaker knows, the ultimate vision of a successful movement, whether it is for the rights of the worker or a film, is the work of many visionaries, and not solely the performance of its spokesperson or director. 

The film also reminds us that whatever fruits Chavez enjoyed on a professional and personal level came at the cost of a parental one. As the eldest son of America's most reviled Mexican American, Fernando Chavez (Eli Vargas) was bullied at his predominately-white school while being ignored by a father too busy working outside the home. Fernando was too immature to understand the sacrifices his father was making for the good of the nation. Fernando needed a father, not a martyr. 

Ultimately, they both got what they wanted and lost what they had. 

Riveting, inspiring, agitating and fortifying, smartly directed, very well acted, and demonstrating a sophisticated attention to detail, Cesar Chavez is a film worthy of its subject. 

This Monday marks the 87th anniversary of Cesar's birthday, an official holiday in California, Colorado and Texas. If you want to honor the man and the movement by patronizing an excellent educational experience illustrating Latino-American history, organized labor history and California history, your opportunity has arrived.

FILM REVIEW: CALIFORNIA SOLO

Lachlan MacAldonich (Robert Carlyle) in California Solo.

These days

By John Esther

Lachlan MacAldonich (Robert Carlyle) has seen better days. A brief rocker sensation in the 1990s, Lachlan now spends his days working and managing an organic farm and his nights doing a less-than-organic podcast show called "Flame-Outs," where he talks about young musicians who died too early.

Once a week Lachlan leaves his Antelope Valley and heads south to the Silver Lake farmers market where he charms customers into buying his organic wares at laughably cheap prices. His favorite customer is the oh-so-hipsterly named Beau (Alexia Rasmussen), a sort of humdrum, typical, wannabe actor commonly found throughout Los Angeles. Lachlan is obviously smitten with her, but she has no clue of his affections or, for that matter, is infamous past as a member of the Cranks, the UK's answer to Nirvana.

Perhaps due to the introduction of Beau's beau, Paul (Danny Masterson), or perhaps because his luck is running out, Lachlan goes on another drinking spree that night -- only this time he is pulled over for drunk driving.

Because a drunk driving conviction could get him deported backed to Scotlan, Lachlan makes efforts to reconnect with his Catherine (Kathleen Wilhoite) and their daughter Arianwen (Savannah Lathem), but may be too little to late to save him.

Beyond a very strong performance by Carlyle and supported by some strong supporting performances, notably by Masterson, Wilhoite and Michael Des Barres as the Cranks ex-manager, and a bit of quality dialogue during a few scenes, writer-director Marshall Lewy's California Solo has very little going for it. It is not that the film is bad or boring so much as it is forgettable. It is the kind of film one sees and forgets until coming across it a video store. A fleeing moment of recognition, only to be forgotten, again -- I guess just like Lachlan MacAldonich.

FILM REVIEW: SAVAGES

O (Blake Lively) and Lobo (Benicio Del Toro) in Savages.

Throwing Stone

By Don Simpson

In what is being heralded by some as a “return to form,” writer-director Oliver Stone relies all-too-heavily upon the voiceover narration of O (Blake Lively) -- who teases us with hints that she might just be communicating with us from the afterlife -- to set up her three-way relationship with entrepreneurial marijuana cultivators, Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch). You see, Ben and Chon share O, sometimes at the same time (adding fuel to the right-wing's perception of marijuana as an immoral drug), and as long as the two guys are capable of providing O with orgasms-a-plenty and a credit card (for binge shopping at the mall, of course) she will stick around.

As if attempting to take a page from John Woo's playbook, Ben and Chon have an intense brotherly bond, but they have very little in common. Chon is an ex-Navy SEAL who has been forever traumatized by harrowing tours of Afghanistan and Iraq (while having sex with O, he has "wargasms"). In other words, he is the irrational brawn of the duo. Ben is a peaceful Buddhist who donates much of his time and money to help save the world. In other words, he is the rational brains of the duo.

Ben and Chon have cultivated a strand of Afghan marijuana that clocks in at an unfathomable 33% THC and their primo product puts their exclusively high-class indie start-up on the radar of a gargantuan Mexican drug cartel (the Walmart of the drug world). The cartel's leader, Elena (Salma Hayek), wants to bring Ben and Chon's highly profitable business into her fold, but Ben and Chon naively snub their noses at Elena's offer (Chon tersely exclaims, "You want us to eat your shit and call it caviar?!"). The problem is, no one ever says no to Elena and gets away with it! Thus, Elena's dastardly-yet-cartoonish henchman Lobo (Benicio Del Toro) kidnaps O, and all the while he twirls his mustache. Luckily for Ben and Chon, they have an elite squad of ex-Navy SEALs and topnotch IT team at their disposal, which they assemble to plan a scheme to get O back. Somewhere in the middle of the whole mess is a corrupt DEA agent, Dennis (John Travolta).

As much as I wanted Savages to be a return to form for Stone, the film is way too riddled with amateurish mistakes and uneven direction to be compared to the films of his heyday -- which, in my humble opinion, came to a grinding halt in 1997 with U-Turn. Yes, I get that Savagesis intended to be a trashy, fun, pulp-y, genre flick -- the problem is that we all know what Stone is (or was) capable of. I might have been willing to cut Stone a little slack if not for the clunky voiceover narration in the film's opening minutes and the horrendous closing act. Really, the only reason to watch Savages is for John Travolta and Benicio Del Toro's masterfully comedic supporting performances (especially during the one scene in which they face-off) -- though I am still quite unclear as to whether they are intentionally being funny.

Speaking of muddled intent, what is Stone really trying to say about marijuana and the war on drugs? Other than a couple heavy-handed attempts to drag medical marijuana into the equation, the perception of marijuana in Savages seems to be incredibly negative. Our perpetually stoned antiheroes -- Ben, Chon and O (who visualize themselves as a modern Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) -- have reaped millions from the marijuana business, but have lost sight on reality because of their over-reliance upon their own highly potent product. Stone seems to be telling us that marijuana turns people into stupid capitalists who are addicted to materialism.

As for the war on drugs? Well, Stone simply relishes in its ridiculousness. The running joke is that each party views the other parties as savages; but if they all just worked together, there would probably be no need for violence. I guess I expected a little more from Stone, especially given the rare opportunity of featuring a female cartel leader. But, Stone turns Elena into a woman who is just as irrational and brutal as any male cartel leaders we have seen on celluloid. The only difference is that she has a weakness -- her motherly instinct to want to see her daughter (Sandra Echeverría).

AUSTIN 2011: DARWIN

A scene from Darwin.

 

Mine your business

By Don Simpson

Contrary to my initial assumption, Darwin has absolutely nothing to do with the infamous English naturalist Charles Darwin (On the Origin of Species). Nick Brandestini’s documentary actually refers to the town of Darwin, California (which is named after Darwin French). Located in the desolate nether-regions on the east side of the Sierra Nevada (not too far from Death Valley), the ex-mining community of Darwin boasts a population of 43. Brandestini wrangles 30 or so of Darwin’s residents to tell their tales to his camera and — within minutes — it becomes quite obvious that the secluded locale of Darwin has attracted a very unique and eclectic collection of people. Darwin also touches upon the town’s history, dating back to when Darwin’s mine — as well as its brothels and saloons — was still active (a period of time that at least one resident refers to as the “glory days”).

Brandestini relies heavily upon the townspeople’s wackiness to drive his documentary, and there is no denying their cinematic appeal. It seems as though most (if not, all) Darwinians have come to the desert to hide from something -- whether it be their checkered past, an all-too-judgmental mainstream society, legitimate employment, or life in general. Darwin appears to be a self-imposed penal colony of sorts where its constituents are able to live out a life sentence of self-enforced exile from mainstream society, yet this seclusion simultaneously allows them to enjoy near-absolute freedom. Together they have created a Utopian society of Libertarian proportions in which everyone enjoys their personal freedoms without much judgment from their neighbors or pestering by the police. They expect their government to provide them with the basic necessities of electricity, water and unemployment checks; otherwise the people of Darwin exist as far “off the grid” as humanly possible. With no mayor, city council or local law enforcement to speak of, Darwin’s only form of political hierarchy appears to be a small panel of residents who occasionally gather together to debate the state of their water supply. Apparently all of the townspeople are armed to the gills — and at least half way to crazy — so criminals steer clear of Darwin. Maybe Darwin has evolved beyond Libertarianism, maybe this is a town of anarchists?

FILM REVIEW: QUEEN OF THE SUN

A scene from Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?

The buzz on the world bee:

By Don Simpson

"Have you ever been stung by a dead bee?" Well, sometime in the near future you may never have to worry about beestings, dead or alive. Some people probably think that the possibility of a bee-less world is not a bad thing, but they obviously do not eat their fruit, as honey bees are responsible for pollination of approximately one third of the United States’ agricultural crops, including almonds, soybeans, peaches, apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, watermelons, cantaloupes, and cucumbers.

Why are honey bees disappearing? Well, the phenomenon -- which has been blandly dubbed colony collapse disorder (CCD) -- has technically occurred throughout the history of beekeeping, but there has been a drastic rise in the number of disappearances of worker bee colonies recently. (Since 2007, the USDA has estimated a 34 percent loss of honey bees per year.) The exact cause(s) has yet to be determined, but the current list of suspects includes: varroa mites and other insect diseases, climate change-related stresses, agricultural pesticides, migratory beekeeping, inbreeding and artificial insemination of queen bees, the industrialization of beekeeping, as well as malnutrition associated with monoculture (specifically California's almond crop), genetically modified crops, and the practice of feeding high-fructose corn syrup to honey bees.

Taggart Siegel’s (The Real Dirt on Farmer John) documentary Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? presents an international array of guests -- including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk, Vandana Shiva, Hugh Wilson, Michael Thiele, May Berenbaum, Yvon Achard, Carlo Petrini, and Raj Patel -- who reveal a variety of perspectives on beekeeping and colony collapse disorder. Throughout Siegel’s film, beekeeping is represented not as a hobby or a career, but as an art form, an ethical responsibility and even as a form of monasticism. Siegel also humorously fetishes the gooey goodness fingered from the dark recesses of the honeycomb -- which also happens to serve as a womb for baby honey bees. Backyard and rooftop beekeepers, migratory beekeepers, and biodynamic beekeepers all seem to share an obsessive reverence to their work. As it turns out, these beekeepers are trying to save humankind from the agricultural apocalypse that could occur in the wake of a bee-less Earth.

Organic farming and the discontinuance of the practice of monoculture are both cited as crucial parts of the solution -- as is the need for changes in commercial beekeeping techniques (which would result in near-certain bankruptcy for commercial beekeepers) -- but no solution will be guaranteed until a definite cause(s) is discovered. If a workable solution is not unearthed soon, humankind’s knack for playing god with nature may come back to sting us sooner than most of us anticipated. I, for one, cannot even fathom living in a world without almonds, soybeans, peaches, apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, watermelons, cantaloupes, and cucumbers.

Not only does Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? provide us with profound and colorful discussions on beekeeping and colony collapse disorder, Siegel’s masterful cinematography is also raw and unfiltered eye candy (sweetened by honey, of course). How Siegel captured such magnificent images is almost as mindboggling as how some beekeepers are able to have their bodies completely blanketed by bees without a single flinch.