Cultural Activity 2: Una película en español

Activity Description:

For cultural activity 2, please find a Spanish-language film to watch and analyze. This means a film produced in Spanish, (not “The Lion King” in Spanish, for example). It must be produced in Spanish! Check IMDb or Wikipedia to verify that your movie was produced in Spanish, and not in English.

After watching, do some additional research into the cultural and/or historical components of the film, and write a brief summary of the film (1 paragraph, single-spaced (25 pts) , and a 1-page, single-spaced analysis (75 pts) discussing 2 or more cultural or historical themes that you gleaned from the film (see example below).

You can write the summary paragraph and the 1-page cultural analysis in English, although it would be great if you attempt some portion of your summary in Spanish (You can use present tense verbs, “hay”, “ser”, “ir”, “gustar”, etc!).

There is an abundance of films to choose from on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Youtube, as well as in the tutoring lab in room 251 of the Liberal Arts building on campus where you could borrow a film for free. Think of a genre that interests you, find some movie options, and then verify that the film you choose is produced in Spanish. Please: choose a film that interests you! Don’t choose a film that will bore you. If you need some suggestions, feel free to email me.

Example: If I were to watch “Pan’s Labyrinth” (El laberinto del fauno), I would write a 1-paragraph summary of the film, and then I would do some research about the Spanish Civil War and include that in my write up, because that is a prevalent cultural/historical theme in the movie. I would also find another topic to research that I picked up on during the film (If you choose this film, you must choose different themes to research and discuss.)

Not sure what a “theme” is?

A theme can be anything. We want to focus on cultural themes relating to the Spanish-speaking communities portrayed in your film. Examples of themes can be as broad or as specific as you like. Examples of themes (that you by no means “have” to use!) could be: Family relationships, romantic relationships, public health issues, politics, sports, gender issues (feminism, etc.), mental health issues, civil rights issues, social justice issues, historical events, crime, immigration, wealth inequality, food culture, music culture, youth culture, etc… Whatever themes that make themselves evident to you while you watch, you can use! Just be sure in your research to relate those issues to what you saw in the film, and make sure they relate to the Spanish-speaking groups or communities from your film.

The objectives of this activity are twofold: Learn something cultural/historical about the Spanish-speaking groups in the film, as well as experience a new film all in Spanish.

Include internet sources in your write up, including links, and in-text citations. To get full credit, you need to use sources, read up on the theme(s) from your film, and cite these sources in your 1-page analysis. Your paper should be no longer than 2 pages single-spaced, MLA format, 12 point font, Times New Roman, and include a works-cited page.