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Ghost Canyon

'Yo Soy Boricua, Pa’ Que Tu Lo Sepas!'
(Rosie Perez, et al / DVD / NR / (2006) 2007 / Genius Products)

Overview: Celebrate Puerto Rican Pride Day by taking in the fascinating and honest film about the country’s rich history and influence on American culture and language as Genius Products presents 'Yo Soy Boricua, Pa’ Que Tu Lo Sepas!'

DVD Verdict: Having made its New York premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, actress Rosie Perez's directorial debut 'Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas!' ('I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!'), is basically a documentary about her heritage. Co-directed with acclaimed documentarian Liz Garbus (The Farm: Angola, USA), the film starts with the focal point of New York City's famed Puerto Rican Day Parade, where Perez examines her culture, both from a deeply personal perspective; interviewing her sister and cousin about their sense of pride in their background and exploring the journey of her own family from the island to New York City, and from a broader perspective, looking at the island's rich, neglected history.

Some have critiqued the documentary saying it is too-focused on Rosie and that she somewhat "dumbs down" the subject matter. However, I think Rosie produced and directed it and so this may be her first ventures in those positions. I also think her presence was to make the work easily viewable by laypeople and not just academics, activists, and students. The documentary tries hard to interview men and women equally, but it still leans more toward men. Thus, Rosie's presence may be a gender-mitigating matter. I really think this work is meant for young Puerto Ricans to see. Thus, I am surprised that it has so much cursing in it. Jimmy Smits did an excellent job in narrating the work. I hope that he gets more narration opportunities as Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, and Harvey Fierstein have.

More indepthly, the film explains how Spanish conquistadors nearly wiped out the island's indigenous population, and made Spanish the official language and Catholicism the official religion. The U.S. eventually took over the island during the Spanish-American War, making it a commonwealth, in which residents pay taxes and can serve in the military, but can't vote in national elections. The U.S. prized the island for its sugar plantations and its strategic proximity to the Panama Canal, but a vast percentage of its residents live in poverty to this day. The documentary takes an honest look at how residents of the island were used as guinea pigs by pharmaceutical companies, at how the U.S. government utilized forced sterilization in an effort to control the island's population, and at the bloody struggle for independence led by Pedro Albiza Campos. Operation Bootstrap, a government program to move islanders to the mainland, is also explored. Perez also celebrates the Puerto Rican poets, artists, and musicians that have impacted American culture, along with the island's unique influence on our language.

This would be a great work for those who do not anything about Puerto Ricans. I think this would be great to watch alongside of reading "Puerto Ricans in the United States" by Maria Perez y Gonzalez. This is a Standard Version Presentation (1.85:1) and comes with the Special Features of just Spanish Ssubtitles

www.GeniusProducts.com





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