The Arts in New York City

The piece that affected me the most was easily Maria Full of Grace. While I can’t say I can compare to her story (I don’t have much experience being a drug mule, you see), I can empathize. Maria and her risks had me both angry and on edge. She was at times stubborn, selfish, and irrational, but by the end of the movie I could not deny her strength.

At first, while I was watching Maria, I was extremely annoyed. One: why was the movie in Spanish? What ever happened to good ole’ English translations? And two: what was with this girl and her annoying best friend?

But then I got to know Maria a little better. This seventeen-year-old had to play the part of family supporter. With her single job she was expected to carry her household, a family of five. And throughout the whole movie, Maria was obviously unsatisfied with her life, always yearning for something else, or something more. But there wasn’t really anything she could do to change her situation. Maria was stuck in a family that was overly dependent on her, she was attached to a boy she barely had feelings for, had a best friend who couldn’t make her own decisions, and a job she couldn’t tolerate.

Maria was stuck living and working for other people. At times she got fed up and reckless. She got pregnant. When I realized Maria was expecting, I was all “oh shucks, how’s she ‘sposed to get through this situation?” I wasn’t sure what would be the best choice for her. But the one she made definitely had me shaking my head. “No Maria!” I said, “Don’t become involved in drug cartel!” “No Maria, don’t swallow those pellets; you’re pregnant!” Maria, I thought was acting childishly, recklessly, and obviously did not care much about herself or her unborn baby.

But by the end of the movie she was still alive, she’d made it to America intact gotten her money, and decided to stay to care for her child. I had to at least respect and admire her for that.

As the credits rolled, I took a step back and thought, what could make someone act so drastically? What could make someone put their life and the life of their unborn child in danger? And for what, for money? But then I supposed drastic situations could cause for drastic choices. And while Maria’s situation in Colombia wasn’t the worst, her experience in coming to America is reminiscent of other individuals and their sacrifices. Not just immigrants seeking a different, better life but also those who decide to take on dangerous jobs to support their families. It makes me think of what might’ve driven them to make the choices that they did. What they dared risk losing, and what they might’ve ended up leaving behind.

Intringulis is by far the piece of work that really explained in detail the plight of an immigrant and how hard it really is to make it here, especially if you are constantly under threat.  Carlo took us by the hand and showed us step by step what he went through and spoke about how this whole process tore apart the family, which this transition of countries often does.  He gave us actual examples, while other productions that we saw and read were somewhat made up.

Asuncion gave us insight, but from America’s side.  It showed us how some people have really terrible preconceptions that really have no logical basis.  Though it did refer to immigration, and seemed to discuss it, I found myself not empathizing with Asuncion the way I did Carlo. As for Maria, it gave the example of why people come here and the lengths they go to. Though I did feel bad for Maria, I found myself blaming her for her wrongdoings rather than excusing her for her situation.  Do the Right Thing was more about racism than immigration, which didn’t allow me to really connect as much.  The same goes for Yellow Face.

During the entirety of Carlo’s play I was sitting in the back crying at every turn of events.  I cried because what he was saying was true; you have to pay tons of money for the system to begin to work and then pay more money to keep it in progress.  It is application after endless application. The immigration services are the furthest thing from organized you’ll find.  They managed to lose the six or so pictures of myself that I sent them over the course of eight years and then decided to print my Greencard with my nine-month-old picture. Really? Is it so difficult for you to keep things in one file? And though I applied for my citizenship three years ago, after my parents have been citizens for at least five more, they send me the interview letter to the wrong address and eight months later tell me that my failure to reply has given them justified reason to deny me my citizenship. *exasperation*

I also cried because of the torn relationships that this process causes.  Families are prevented from seeing and knowing each other because no matter how successful you can make it here, if you don’t have the papers, you won’t be able to get back into the country.  And it was already so difficult to make it that no one would ever risk leaving and not coming back. I left my extended family as an infant and came back a twelve year old. Until our first visit in 2006, my cousins had never met my younger brother.  We were outsiders while they were actually family.  I missed out on the chance to have close older siblings, people I can rely on and trust.  In America I am the oldest of the children in all the family gatherings, making me the responsible adult, never the simple child.

I cried because Carlo chose such perfect songs, songs that readily communicated the corruption and the sorrow that he saw.  There was one that was especially sarcastic, proving its point all the more and making me laugh at its wit.   They provided a beautiful tune, well, the ones he wasn’t screaming in. If I were more educated in music of the 70’s and 80’s I would have understood the references he was making with them. Music is a powerful language, connecting all people, and each song hit me with more force than the last.

It’s usually the case that I enjoy entertainment that can get a reaction out of me, so this play was no exception.  The difference is that Intringulis in its simplicity made an impact, completely blowing my expectations, so now I’ll never forget it.

Like many people in the class, the piece that affected me most in this unit was Intringulis. However I feel between class discussions, my video blog, and conversations I’ve had with friends, I’ve spent too much time talking about it. So I want to discuss another piece that really moved me: Maria Full of Grace.

Every now and then when I was watching the movie, I would have to stop and remind myself that Maria was supposed to be younger than I am. They way she grabbed her life by the reins amazed me. Of course, the movie started with her caring for her mother, sister, and nephew, so I suppose taking care of herself didn’t seem like a big feat. But the way she never got scared, just took care of what needed to be taken care of while still maintaining her morals, especially compared to the way Blanca acted, was so surprising. It was incredibly refreshing to see such a strong female role.

Of course the story was what made it such a strong piece about immigrants. It showed how rough life can be for people before they come to America, and the extreme measures they’re willing to take to leave. Maria knew that there was a high chance she could get caught by border patrol or die from a pellet opening, but she did it anyway.

It was interesting that in America, Maria saw that although life was better, it was far from perfect. Most discussions of immigration idealize America so much, so I liked that Maria Full of Grace also showed some of the downsides. The fact that she was aware of these imperfections and still chose to stay in America shows just how bad life was in Colombia and how idealistic Maria was.

It was also so easy to feel sympathy for the characters. When Maria was learning how to swallow pellets, my throat hurt. I couldn’t look at the screen. When Maria and Blanca found the bloody bathtub, I started freaking out for them. When Carla got the phone call about Lucy, I got nervous. I felt the movie conveyed the moods of scenes really well.

I think the powerful message, interesting plot, good actors, and relevance made this a great movie. I was so focused that at some point I forgot it was in Spanish. When the border control officer spoke to Maria in English, I was confused. I knew something had changed, but I wasn’t sure what it was. Then Maria answered in Spanish and I realized. I’d like to think that’s a sign of a great foreign movie.

therefore I have to say that Intringulus and Maria Full of Grace were the two works that affected me the most in this unit, but for different, although somewhat similar, reasons.  Both works appealed to me on an emotional level: Intringulus because of personal experiences, and Maria Full of Grace because of my sense of sympathy.

As I already discussed at length in my vlog, I connected on a personal level with Carlo’s story because of my personal experiences of immigration to America.  Beyond that though, I think Carlo effectively told his story with the use of singing, instruments, and one-man acting.  There is no doubt that his creative usage of these elements displays his incredible theatrical talent.  Even for people who did not have relatable stories to his, the piece was effective as it arose human emotions of sympathy and understanding, and furthermore informed them of much they did not know about the immigration situation in the United States.  As a young, charismatic actor, Carlo is passionate about his topic and this passion gets across to the audience, and I think that’s a big part of what made (makes) his piece very effective.

Maria Full of Grace also emotionally affected me, but was not as much a connection on a personal level (phew).  While watching the movie I felt sad, scared..and naive.

So.

Incredibly.

Naive.

For one thing, I looked up the word “mule” on urbandictionary.  And even after looking it up, I still wasn’t sure as to what the girls were doing.  When it finally hit me, I was nearly in tears.  I turned to my mom and said, “Ima (mom in Hebrew), I’m watching this movie about…” and explained it to her.  “I can’t believe things like this actually happen…people actually do this,” I continued.  “Don’t you watch the news?” she replied gently.

Honestly, I’ve heard of drug dealers and smugglers, but never anything like this.  I couldn’t even imagine that such things could exist.  Because I was hit with the naivety bomb, my feelings of sympathy were aroused tenfold and I was left sitting in front of my laptop watching the movie, almost in tears.  How the hell did I not know that things like this existed?  How could I be so stupid and naive? Unmistakably, Maria’s story affected me so much more than I expected.  Seeing someone else face such troubles brought out the sympathetic side of me, and the grateful side too.  The difficult scenes in the movie still play back in my head nowadays and I think to myself, “Don’t you ever complain about your troubles in life when other people are going through things like this.”

Hello, again my benevolent classmates! Today I want to focus upon the movie, ‘Maria Full of Grace,’ for it had the most profound impact on me in the Immigrant Unit. After viewing ‘Maria Full of Grace,’ the many hardships individuals, such as Maria, have to face in their daily lives to earn a decent living became elucidated for me. While I feel that Maria’s involvement in the drug business was morally wrong, I thought her intentions were pure. The perpetual conflicts Maria had to confront, whether it had to do with her family, boyfriend, or job, made me sympathize with her. Even at such a young age, Maria dealt with such difficult times and manifests to us the importance of stability in life. At age 17, Maria had to support her mother and her unemployed sister (and let’s not forget her sister’s child), while simultaneously managing her own life. Due to all these troublesome circumstances Maria, unfortunately, became part of an illegal drug business. I simply cannot imagine the unpleasant events Maria had to endure myself at such a youthful age. In fact, if I were in Maria’s place I would have no idea what to do. I would’ve probably stuck to doing the grueling work in the flower shop (and yes facing the acrid remarks of the boss), rather than swallowing lethal drugs down my esophagus.

Essentially, this movie was an eye-opener  because it illustrated the extents people could go to just to acquire money to support themselves. Maria was practically sacrificing her life smuggling drugs to New York, even when she was carrying a child in her womb! Not once did Maria think how her actions would affect her unborn child. However, this again relates to the unrelenting, quotidian problems immigrants, like Maria had to face. It hurts me to see an adolescent, such as Maria, to contain drugs in her stomach and travel to a foreign place to obtain money. Fortunately, Maria learns that what she’s doing was wrong after witnessing her friend pass away. I believe that Maria made the right decision to remain in New York and did not get involved in the smuggling business again. Maria knew a place as grand as New York was bound to have opportunities for her and her child. Nevertheless, I felt that the ending of the movie was a cliffhanger, because Maria made it to New York, but as an illegal immigrant… (deportation!) Who knows what problems innocent Maria may have to deal with in the future, especially when she is expecting a child. Her family will be worried sick about her whereabouts.

In my opinion, I feel Maria surrendered too hastily and formulated the wrong choice by becoming part of a despicable scandal. I wished that Maria thought more rationally and tried to resolve things with her sister, rather than always arguing with her. I know it’s easier said than done, but maybe circumstances would have been more fruitful in the end. The important thing I felt was this film made its point about the many difficulties illegal immigrants had to face and how these difficulties can lead individuals into undesirable situations. The message of the movie was definitely poignant and made me realize even further that everyone does not have an easy way of life. Moreover, the film made lucid the harsh realities of immigrants through the scene of them being thoroughly frisked at the airport.

Honestly, no matter how many times I repeat this, it’s not sufficient: I wished that Maria displayed the same sense of rationality she had done with Blanca when making her decision to join partake in smuggling drugs to the United States. I fully comprehend that life was tough for Maria, but she could have done better I felt. Then again, sometimes desperate situations call for desperate measures…

Maybe it’s because I feel like we’ve already discussed this a lot in class and I also talked about it in my video blog, but to me it actually feels kind of redundant to say that the piece that affected me the most was Intringulis.  After all, we were polled at the end of class on Monday and I was part of the overwhelming majority.  But even though it’s unoriginal, I’m in agreement with the crowd.  For a one-man show that I was expecting nothing from, it really gave me a whole new perspective on illegal immigrants and their struggles upon coming to America.

Carlo’s story shows that although immigrants can find a better life in America, it definitely does not come easily.  The most moving part for me was when Carlo added up all the money his family had to spend to come to America.  Although I’ve never been one of the people who are violently opposed to illegal immigration, I was always under the impression that illegal immigrants did not pay taxes.  Carlo showed me that I was wrong; in fact, illegal immigrants who are on payrolls pay more taxes than citizens because their Social Security numbers are fake, meaning they will never be able to claim the Social Security money that has been removed from their paychecks.  They are also not able to get the tax refunds that many US citizens get at the end of the year.  Learning this was pretty eye opening for me—after all, a lot of people who are opposed to illegal immigration base their argument on the myth that illegal immigrants do not pay taxes.

I was also affected by the internal struggles Carlo had with his illegal status.  He just wanted to grow up and be a “normal” kid, but his family was in constant fear of deportation.  So even though he got a bunch of acting opportunities, it was a big ordeal to ride in the Thanksgiving Day Parade and to do regular kid things like hang out with friends or listen to loud music.  I can only imagine how horrible it must be to have to keep a secret like that from everyone you know.  It’s bad enough to keep something minor from your friends, let alone the fact that you’re actually an illegal immigrant.

I think the main reason why Intringulis has affected so many people who have seen it is the fact that it puts a face to a cause.  Carlo is a very likable guy who puts his entire life out there for everyone to see.  He is trying to bring awareness to the fact that illegal immigrants are people who contribute to society and have to work incredibly hard and spend quite a bit of money to do so.  It’s easy to say that all illegal immigrants should be deported, but when you actually know someone who is here illegally (and Carlo’s intimate show makes you feel like you do), it forces you to examine your beliefs in a whole new light.  It’s rare that I see a performance with such a strong message, and I would honestly rank it with one of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen.