The Blue Diner (2001)

Eager to become a businesswoman, an immigrant from Puerto Rico tries to adjust to life in the United States.

Director:

Jan Egleson

Writers:

Jan Egleson (screenplay), Jan Egleson (story)

Stars:

Miriam Colon, Lisa Vidal, Jose Yenque

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Miriam Colon	...	Meche (as Miriam Colón)
Lisa Vidal	...	Elena
Jose Yenque	...	Tito
William Marquez	...	Papo
Virginia Rambal	...	Vika
Jack Mulcahy	...	Brian
Jaime Tirelli	...	Héctor
Fidel Vicioso	...	Patricio
Edouard DeSoto	...	Singer in Club
Gustave Johnson	...	Museum security guard
Teresa Yenque	...	Dog casket shopper
René Sánchez	...	Don Benito
Chuck Brinig	...	Theo
Ken Cheeseman	...	Banker
Lonnie Farmer	...	Lawyer

Storyline

On her 26th birthday, Elena suffers an anomaly: she loses her ability to speak Spanish. It happens during a late-night argument with her mother, the janitor at a Boston museum, over several family issues: Elena's missing father (gone since she was a young child) and her feeling caught between two men, a Latin artist named Tito, who has no Green Card, and her Irish-American boss, Brian. What explains the loss of her native tongue? Does it matter within the larger challenges of finding her father, choosing between men, and reconciling with her mother? Some answers may come at the Blue Diner, where Papo, the Cuban proprietor, serves up brains and a special pepper.

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Plot Keywords:

spanish | immigrant | puerto rican american | mother daughter relationship | marriage engagement | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Blue Diner Project

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Fonda azul

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Goldheart Pictures, Latino Public Broadcasting

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Used excess film stock from the production of James Cameron's Titanic (1997).

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Soundtracks

El Jesum Benedictum
Written by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Courtesy of Tré-fi Productions

User Reviews

A look at Latinos in a new light

I have just seen "La Fonda Azul" (The Blue Diner) on PBS. Since I live in Massachussetts, and this film was shot in Boston, I had heard about it obliquely in the "Arts" section of the newspaper.

I am glad I took the time to see it. What struck me about it is that it presents the life of Hispanic immigrants in a way I have not seen before, it is not cliched in either direction (one being the R rated action movie treatment of Latinos, the other being the syrupy blandness of sitcom "Latino" families.)

It has characters that, in my eyes, reflect real struggles of cultural identity, and of living in the present without forgetting the past.

What I also found interesting about it is that other "fish out of water" can identify with the characters, not just Hispanics. (Just ask anybody originally from the deep South now living in New England, for example...)