Quinceanera

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Quinceanera ★★★ 2006 (R)

Quinceanera is a traditional celebration that marks a comingofage at 15 for Mexican American girls. Magdalena (newcomer Rios) reaches this milestone with the revelation that she's pregnant (even though she swears she's a virgin). Banished from her home by her devout father, she takes refuge with her Uncle Tomas (Gonzalez), a wise octogenarian who is also sheltering his gay nephew Carols (Garcia). Meanwhile, Tomas's modest but longstanding home is threatened by his new landlords, thus unfolding a complex story of tradition versus change, the definition of family, and gentrification. Effective docustylings illuminate life in L.A.'s Echo Park community and make the flick's ending utterly satisfying. 90m/C DVD . US David W. Ross, Emily Rios, Jesse Garcia, Chalo Gonzalez, J.R. Cruz, Jason L. Wood, Araceli GuzmanRico, Jesus CastanosChima; D: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland; W: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland; C: Eric Steelberg; M: Victor Block.

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