Narratives, particularly representation, shaped both people’s perceptions and national policies at an Arizona State University screening and panel discussion Friday of the film “Coco.”
This collaboration with various ASU organizations is part of an ongoing film series meant to provoke discussion about current social issues through story-telling, according to James Wermers, an ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) fellow.
“The border is such a central character in the film,” Matthew Sandoval, a faculty member for Barrett, the Honors College at ASU.
Sandoval, along with the other two panelists, discussed how the film’s plot parallels the current issue of immigration. There is a theme of trying to cross borders in “Coco,” including where the two protagonists, Miguel and Hector, attempt to journey from the Land of the Dead to the Land of the Living. They must evade guards, sneak or be smuggled into various places, and deal with not being able to see their families on either side.
This device was thought to be deliberate by the panelists. Sandoval said the plot encourages the audience to “root for” the protagonists, including identifying and sympathizing with the characters’ fears and worries.
“There is a real emotional of the hurt of what the border does, how it separates and divides families,” said Anita Huizar-Hernandez, a University of Arizona professor who specializes in border studies.
Huizar-Hernandez said in a phone interview prior to the event that narratives help audiences understand and connect with others. But there is also a danger of inaccuracy, causing public perception that harm the Latino community.
Even though Disney-Pixar was praised for its representation, there were mixed feelings about some of the ways the company tried to handle Mexican culture. The panelists spoke about the 2013 controversy where Disney-Pixar originally tried to trademark and copyright Day of the Dead, both the holiday and the phrase. Public backlash ensued, including in Sandoval’s previous hometown, Los Angeles, where he organized a protest against the Burbank company. Because of this, all of the panelists expressed an initial reluctance to see “Coco” when it first opened in theaters.
“Here they were trying to take this away from our community and own it when it’s not theirs,” said Nuvia Enriquez, co-founder of LaPhoenikera.com, an online magazine that focuses on the representation Latinos and people of color in Phoenix.
However, the panelists said there were positives, including having members of the Latino community see themselves represented in the mainstream media. This was especially important to those who did not have much representation while they were young.
When asked if she could think of any movies with Latino leads as a child, Ann Acosta, who attended the event with her friend, replied, “I don’t think there was enough. Definitely not enough.”
Other people who attended the event could not name one movie or TV show that had positive or a lot of Latino representation while they were growing up.
“I’m sure there were some minor roles, but never in mainstream media, never characters in the main story, or never represented properly,” Sunny Jaiswal, an ASU freshman. “People really make their assumptions or create stereotypes based on what they see in the media.”
Jawail added that a plot line about an average family with a fleshed-out plot released into the mainstream was a positive change.
According to the panelists, this helped “Coco” become the movie that resonated with most of the community: the familial bonds, the food, the respect for the elders and the traditions.
While all panelists agreed that there is more Latino representation in the media, there is still a long way to go.
For example, the panelists said that the film represents only one area and one class of Mexico. Not only are Latinos from different countries, not everyone celebrates Day of the Dead or follows the same traditions, such as putting up altars. The panelists expressed worries that some would come away from the film and think that they know everything there is to know about Mexico or Day of the Dead.
Those on the panel agreed that Disney purposefully generalized in order to sell the movie, but that the company has to continue telling more diverse stories, not simply stop with one Mexican-themed movie or protagonist. The panelists expressed the need to get more people in the community into writers’ rooms, with Sandoval saying that one positive of the film was the message to Latino youth to “to dream and become an artist.”
For questions, contact the reporter at adepaol2@asu.edu
