3 Latino Film Cures for Cabin Fever
Written by Roberto Leal
Since the election of our Hoax President, we certainly have been living in “interesting” times. When my kids were little, they were never allowed to criticize their mother’s cooking. It they didn’t like something that was served to them, they were only allowed to sardonically, but very politely observe:
“Oh, this is interesting.”
And so, it’s in interesting times we now find ourselves deeply mired in this worrisome pandemic. Regrettably, many of our favorite places for fun, leisure and recreation are being closed or cancelled: restaurants, bars, sporting events, and especially for a film fanatic like me, movie theaters.
Gracias a Dios for my 60-inch, flat screen TV and access to several streaming platforms. For semi-reclusive writers, like me, the internet has made it possible for me to never leave my little studio apartment. All my worldly needs; meds, food, clothes, porn, can be found on the InterWebs, and three of the four can be delivered directly to my home.
“May you live in interesting times”
Ancient Chinese Curse
Certainly, a prolonged, nation-wide, period of sheltering in place, as it’s being called, will inevitably result in extreme cases of cabin fever. Thanks to those ubiquitous streaming platforms, let me offer three Latino entertainment cures, now playing, to help alleviate those sheltering in place blues.
SIDEWALLS (Medianeras) – Hulu
There’s nothing like a good romantic comedy to lift the spirits and re-affirm the basic human need for meaningful relationships. Writer/director Gustavo Taretto’s Sidewalls tells us the story of two slightly deranged tekkies, web designer, Martín (Javier Drolas), and architect, Mariana (Pilar López de Ayala) who live right across the street from each other in high-rise apartments in Buenos Aires. Martín and Mariana are like the two proverbial ships that pass each other in the night. However, these two rudderless boats pass each other during the day, strolling down the sidewalk, swimming in the same pool and while sipping an espresso in the same coffee shop. Will these two lonely “ships” ever sail off together into the sunset? Watch this clever romantic comedy and find out. Sidewalls is currently streaming on HULU.
Extra to Stream: Trailer
GENTEFIED – Netflix
Family, food and tradition. Those are the three principal ingredients in any good Chicano comedy. Gentefied, offers all three ingredients, along with a generous side dish of laughs, served up in the usual huge portions you get in a family-owned, Mexican restaurant.
Inter-generational conflicts arise when two young cousins decide to modernize their grandfather’s Boyle Heights taco shop. It’s the age-old struggle between tradition versus trendy, igniting comedy sparks to fly in the process. Gentified, stars Kerrie Martin, Joaquín Cosío, J.J. Soría, and Carlos Santos, plus a supporting Latino cast of quirky characters adding to the fun. Gentefied is the right place to celebrate some good, old-fashioned Chicano family fun and upscale, gentrified tacos. But I’ll stick with the carne asada tacos with cilantro y cebolla and pass on the alfalfa sprouts and yogurt.
Extras to stream: Meet The Cast Behind The Season
SIX DREAMS – Amazon Prime
This pandemic has put the kibosh on all major sporting events. So now we’re stuck watching re-runs of pro basketball and football games from last year and beyond. I swear I saw Bronko Nagurski run for a touchdown the other day. I’ve even been reduced to watching the World Series of Poker and I don’t even play cards. I’m not even good with greeting cards.
But I love soccer, or more correctly fútbol. Professional soccer is the biggest international sport on the planet. It’s especially popular in all Latin America, Portugal and Spain. These Latin countries consistently produce the best teams and greatest players in the sport. It’s especially true of Spain, which won the 2010 World Cup and is always a contender.
Six Dreams, an Amazon Prime series, takes us behind the scenes to see the Spanish Football League (La Liga) through the lives of six individuals; team president, coach, sports director and athletes. From the board room, locker room, living room, to the pitch, Six Dreams is an intimate and detailed examination of the pressures and passions on and off the field of this greatest of world sports. Six Dreams scores a winning ¡GO-O-O-OL!
Six Dreams Stars: Carlos Carretero, Quinque Cárcel, Amaia Gorostiza
Extras to Stream: Trailer
Enjoy!