Show Bilin Bilingual ual Film m T Touches Both Botn Sides of the Fence Sebastian Staff Writer The movie Casa Cas a de los Babies is about six infertile mothers who travel down to Mexico to adopt babies They are asked to stay in a hotel called the Casa de los Babies where they have to stay for days weeks and even months in order to comply with the requirements needed for adoption Each mother has her own story and represents different aspects of the American society An ex- ex alcoholic a lesbian and a rich wife are some of the characters represented Ultimately they are Americans ignorant of the world that surrounds them and with a asole asole asole sole purpose of adopting a child and coming back to the United States In contrast to those six women you can find other personalities that reflect the reality of Mexico or virtually any South American country The first story takes the form fonn of three little street boys who go around the streets wishing to survive survive survive sur sur- vive trying to carry on by stealing stealing stealing steal steal- ing and sniffing glue Another example is a housemaid housemaid housemaid house house- maid who has given her daughter up for adoption because she could not take care of her and who now works for these American women Also there is the owner of the Casa de los Babies a woman who is more interested in her hotel than taking care of the children she is helping to get adopted Finally a tourist guide is presented presented presented pre pre- who does not have the money to get a visa to migrate to the United States as is a teenage upper middle pregnant woman whose mother wants her herto herto herto to abort or give her baby up for forSee forSee forSee See Film continued on page 8 u Film continued from page 6 adoption All of these characters interact in this movie to show you a harsh reality Ultimately the movie is not about the adoption of babies It is about two dependent co-dependent cultures Each side has hopes and dreams that dont don't just deal with babies but with other aspects related to the contrasts and inequalities of the American and the Latino cul cul- ture From Fromn a global perspective the movie points out the dif dif- ference between developed and under-developed under countries countries countries coun coun- tries and their oblivion about their neighbors living in extreme poverty This story could happen also between any European citizen wishing to adopt a baby in Asia And for America this is an important issue given the vast Latin- Latin American territory that lives in poverty and lies very close to the United States Another attractive aspect of the movie is the fact that half of it is in English and half is in Spanish Its director the independent filmmaker John Sayes Saves decided ed not to do an entire film in English but instead lend viewers the feeling of what happens in the real life And that exact cultural bi-cultural reality not only happens in Mexico but here in the United States as well In the film Casa Cas a de Los Babies for two months these six American women feel what a vast majority of immigrants feel fecI when they arrive to this country This bilingual aspect of the movie helps the viewer to better better better bet bet- ter understand this reality It is up to you to understand the conditions of lives of other cultures The world is a little bit bigger than our own back back- yard |