Quinceañera (2006)

Directors:

Richard Glatzer
Wash Westmoreland

Writers:

Richard Glatzer (writer)
Wash Westmoreland (writer)

Release Date:

5 July 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

As Magdalena's 15th birthday approaches, her simple, blissful life is complicated by the discovery that she's pregnant. Kicked out of her house, she finds a new family with her great-granduncle and gay cousin.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Preacher | Trio | Limousine | Gay Relationship

Awards:

7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jesus Castanos	...	Ernesto (as Jesus Castanos Chima)
Araceli Guzman-Rico	...	Maria
Emily Rios	...	Magdalena
J.R. Cruz	...	Herman
Listette Avila	...	Jessica
Alicia Sixtos	...	Eileen May Garcia
Hector Quevedo	...	Dancing Boy
Germán Campos	...	Chambelàn (as German Zavala)
Carlos Linares	...	Videographer
Johnny Chavez	...	Uncle Walter
Carmen Aguirre	...	Aunt Silvia
Margarita Lugo	...	Aunt Candy
Jorge Ortiz	...	DJ
Veronica Sixtos	...	Young Girl
Jesse Garcia	...	Carlos

Also Known As:

Echo Park, L.A. (UK)
Sweet Fifteen (Australia) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexual content and drug use.

Runtime:

90 min | UK:90 min (uncut)

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Echo Park Lake, Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cinetic Media

Trivia:

Because many members of the cast were not members of the Screen Actor's Guild, Chalo González had to hand in his SAG card before he could play the role of Tio Tomas.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Herman says that he's going to take his AP History exam on Saturday. Advanced Placement exams are only given on specific school days, not weekends.

Quotes:

Carlos: Nobody believes you, huh?
Magdalena: About what?
Carlos: "About what?", come on!
Magdalena: [pauses] No.
Carlos: Yeah, nobody believed me about anything all my life.
Magdalena: That's because you're a liar, and a thief, and a pothead. And a gay.
Carlos: [Makes face] So?

Movie Connections:

Features "Quinceañera" (1987)

Soundtrack:

Pica Pica

Quinceanera was great!

Although it wasn't a first pick, I was able to get the time slot I wanted at Sundance to view this film. We were so impressed with the film that it was almost a post viewing panic session that we could have missed a film this awesome just because it didn't have any "big names" in it. Jesse Garcia is the next "big name" in Hollywood! Keep your eyes on this guy. His portrayal of a gay Hispanic gang member just blows all stereo types out of the water. Chalo González is a national treasure, and outshines the entire cast as Uncle Thomas. Emily Rios is also a great find, and really does a great job in her first big role. Listening to the writers/directors in person detailing their own experience of moving to Echo Park California, and witnessing the gentrification of the area which inspired the film, made this screening even more sweet. The only flaw that I could find was that I wanted to see more of Magdalena's family, and thought those relationships could have been fleshed out more to better understand why they did the things to her that they did. The entire cast was so approachable after the screening and Q&A, that it made me want to go out and do all their PR work for free! Glatzer and Westmoreland said to look for this film on HBO, so hopefully that will be the case really soon for the general public. Catch it if you can; it's worth the time.