What happens when a Latina woman and an African American man
get engaged for marriage? Not your usual couple, but does that make it morally
wrong? Maybe you don’t see it as a big deal until it is your son/daughter or
brother/sister who brings home a person of a different race as the love of
their life and their future husband or wife. How easy would it be for you to
accept that? The movie “Our Family Wedding” (2010) helps us to answer these
questions while showing different perspectives on interracial marriages. The
African American family of Marcus Boyd and the Hispanic family of Lucia Ramirez
are forced to join together in this romantic comedy film when the two announce
their plans for marriage. This movie
clearly presents apprehensions on interracial marriages and cultural clashes in
the beginning, but it also shows it in a different light in the end where the
black/Mexican marriage and is respected and accepted. Stereotypes and unique cultural
aspects of Mexicans and African Americans are presented to show extremities of
both cultures. After getting to know one another very well, both the wedding
and the families eventually become more diverse.
Dropping the Bomb
Neither families of Marcus or Lucia expected the shocking
news of their engagement. Their initial reaction was surprised, confused, and
nearly speechless. When introducing her new black fiancée to her traditional
grandmother, Lucia’s abuelita fainted instantly at the unbelievable news she
had received. The parents, too, were confused at their decision and unreceptive
of accepting each other’s families. The fathers of the intercultural couple,
Brad and Miguel, especially clashed in arguments, disagreements, disrespect,
and ignorance that led to racist views. When first meeting each other, they
automatically assumed the worse because they were unfamiliar with their
cultures and because they saw one another as a threat to themselves. Differences
of culture such as food, language, dress, traditions, dances, and more created
boundaries for the families to understand the other family’s culture. But,
because of the bond between Lucia and Marcus the families are given the
opportunity to become aware of a different culture. As the movie moves forward
and they learn more about each other, the ignorance dilutes and a greater
acceptance evolves.
Breaking Down Barriers
As commonly stated, when you marry someone, you marry their
entire family. This is exactly what happened in the film despite their
families’ differences. One way of combining the African American and Hispanic
culture was through the wedding, which implemented traditions of both cultures
from the big and tasteful wedding cake to the Mariachi band singing “Soon As I
Get Home” and to the electric slide on the dance floor. The families were able
to come together to create a one of a kind wedding by not exactly breaking
tradition, but adding to it and making it more diverse. What’s better than an
African American wedding or a Latina wedding? Perhaps both. Through this movie
we can see how interracial and intercultural marriages break racial barriers by
creating a greater understanding of an unfamiliar race.
-Brianna Allen
-Brianna Allen
No comments:
Post a Comment