La Quinceañera.

By staff -- Críticas, 9/1/2007

Quinceañera refers to both the teenage girl celebrating her 15th birthday and the celebration itself, which marks her passage from girlhood to being a young woman, much like a Sweet Sixteen or debutante ball in the United States. (In some Latin American countries, the event is referred to Quinceañero or simply Los quince.) This documentary follows the preparations for the Quinceañera celebration of Ana María, the last of five girls in a single family living in a tight-knit working-class neighborhood in Tijuana. Neighbors share the expenses of the formal celebration—a mass followed by festivities at a local party hall. Director Adam Taub, who met with Ana María’s family during a series of visits to Tijuana, focuses on key moments leading to the celebrations: Ana María and her male escorts (los chamberlanes) learning to waltz, her Quinceañera lessons (a teacher instructs her and other quinceañeras about sexual issues), her choice of the fancy dress for the ceremony, and other preparations. The personal background of Ana María’s family is an interesting undercurrent throughout, especially when her absent father makes a sudden appearance at his daughter’s reception, to her surprise and anger. Although the documentary is not intended to be an in-depth exploration of the Quinceañera per se, it is recommended as a fine introduction to this rite of passage practiced in many Latin American countries and of importance to Latinos in the United States.—Rafael Ocasio, Agnes Scott Coll., Decatur, GA