I enjoyed looking at some of the influences behind The Namesake last week, and I’ve started to look at some of Mira Nair’s older films — including one that I hadn’t seen before, The Perez Family.
The Perez Family is a film adaptation of a novel by the same name by Christine Bell. It’s the story of a family separated at the time of the Cuban revolution, which has the potential to be reunited because of the Mariel boatlift of 1980. The boatlift brought more than 100,000 Cuban refugees to the United States, with full approval of both Castro and the U.S. government.
My detailed (possibly too detailed?) take on the film is below the fold, but at this point one obvious issue for discussion does come up, which is whether there are points for comparison between Cuban refugees and Indian immigrants from the 1960s and 70s. Cuban Americans are famous for skewing somewhat to the Right; many of the earlier wave were wealthy landowners in Cuba, who had the most to lose in Castro’s Cuba. But perhaps many earlier Indian immigrants are themselves somewhat more conservative than one might expect, perhaps because of the “artifact” of U.S. immigration law up through 1980 — which made it relatively easy for doctors and engineers to come in.On to the film itself — where some possible parallels between the Cuban and Indian experiences in America might become clearer.
Though Nair’s Perez Family doesn’t always work dramatically (there are some implausible elements in the story, and some of the actors struggle with their Cuban accents), the film does have some very smart moments, and a theme that resonates closely with Nair’s other films, including especially Mississippi Masala and The Namesake. The connection is this: all three are in essence diaspora stories, about the trauma of leaving behind one life, and the excitement and ambivalence entailed in embracing a new culture. As with Mississippi Masala (and even The Namesake, to some extent), the moment of leaving is wrapped up in a historical (and personal) trauma — a trauma named “Idi Amin” in one case, and “Fidel Castro” in another. In all three films (as well as Nair’s adaptation of My Own Country, made for TV), that new country is United States, which is far less transparent to outsiders than Americans like to think.
In The Perez Family, the first film Nair made after the breakthrough critical and commercial success of Mississippi Masala, Nair does throw in some specifically South Asian elements as a running leitmotif in what is otherwise an essentially Cuban diaspora story. The most obvious of these is the immigration official in Miami, played by Ranjit Chowdhry, the actor who was also memorable as “Mundu” in Deepa Mehta’s Fire. As a heavily accented immigrant himself, Chowdhry’s INS official serves as a friend and guide to Marisa Tomei’s Dorita Perez, as she learns how to adapt to American society — a process that begins, of course, with navigating the immigration bureaucracy itself. There is something curious and strange about an Indian immigrant serving as the “model” for the Americanization of a Cuban (“I am going to have to tell you what to do!” he says, at one point), but it works quite well in the film, even when it’s just there for comic relief. It’s Chowdhry’s character who has to reveal to Dorita (Tomei), for instance, that John Wayne, for Dorita the very embodiment of a sexy, heroic America, is in fact dead. It’s also his “hint” that families will get sponsored more quickly than singles that leads Dorita to stick to Juan (Molina), and eventually also contrive a “son” (a street kid) as well as a “father” to move things forward.
There are some highly memorable, symbolism-laden bits of cinematography in the film. The opening shot is a slow pan across a beach in Cuba, pre-revolution. Elegantly dressed men and women in white suits sit at tables, drinking cocktails, as a waiter (again, formally dressed) makes his way through. The music, traditional Cuban Son (the music for the film as a whole is done by the excellent Arturo Sandoval, incidentally), adds an air of “Old Havana” nostalgia. The pan ends on the headlights and grill of a Studebaker-type car — symbolizing, without a single line of dialogue, the way in which the Cuban story was in some sense always about the United States, even before the Cubans left home (i.e., the Revolution was in some sense a reaction against the American economic exploitation of the island…). After the Studebaker, Nair cuts to Alfred Molina, who is watching as his young wife, Carmela, wades into the water with their daughter. She’s leaving — this is a dream sequence — but he’ll be left behind. The film doesn’t provide too much by way of backstory, but there is a hint that Molina’s character, Juan Raul Perez, was a sugar plantation owner who spent 20 years in Castro’s prisons, while his wife and daughter were able to escape to Miami. (Perhaps Christine Bell’s novel spells out in greater detail how they were originally separated. The only lines that makes their way into the dialogue of the film are things like, “I burned my sugar plantation, rather than give it to him [Castro]”; and “I sent her away for the weekend, and it turned into 20 years.”)
The shot of the young Carmela wading into the water is echoed nicely a bit later in the film, as Alfred Molina and Marisa Tomei’s characters, who meet one another on the boatlift to Miami itself, approach Key West. Tomei’s Dorita is thrilled to be reaching the U.S. — she is the kind of immigrant who embraces with gusto the new, while Molina is too traumatized by the past to let go of it — and dives into the water, fully clothed. Molina, again, is left behind, watching.
I won’t say too much about the plot of the film as it goes forward for fear of spoiling it for those readers who might not have seen it. Suffice it to say that it follows the drift of other diasporic/immigrant stories: Juan Perez (Molina) has to find his wife and daughter in Miami after 20 years of separation, overcoming certain obstacles, while also making sense of his new relationship with the sensual, adventurous “Marielita” Dorita (Marisa Tomei’s performance is turned up to “11” in this film; she owns every scene she’s in).
Though it tilts too far into melodrama at times, The Perez Family is worth seeing, especially for Nair fans, who will certainly appreciate the overlaps and parallels with her other films here. (I might also add that fans of Cuban music will enjoy the excellent soundtrack, as will fans of Marisa Tomei, who gives one of her best performances here.)
Oye-todos el poste demasiado sobre conexiones de latinos y indios. 😉
Wow, Amardeep, thanks for the blast from the past!
I’d seen it several times ages ago, probably when it had a run on HBO, but haven’t watched it since, though I did buy the soundtrack back then.
I thought Alfred Molina was quite magnetic too, though I agree, the accents were a bit all over the place (an Italo-Brit playing a Cuban). I saw him in an Irish play on Broadway years ago, and he sounded like he was channeling Gabriel Byrne…
Ahhhh, Alfred Molina, a classic Hey! It’s that Guy! actor, and probably in the running with Erick Avari and Tony Shalhoub for Most Ethnicities Portrayed By One Man award. Allegedly Mr. Molina got punched in the face by an Iranian for his role in “Not Without My Daughter” (which sucks for him, but I can sorta see why).
I recently got the movie Perez family on Netflix and enjoyed it thoroughly. Actually the way I came across this movie was not through Mira Nair but my fascination for Marisa Tomei after watching her in Slums of Beverly Hills including many of here recent movies. I kind off got hooked onto her , added all of Marisa’s movie onto my netflix queue and thats how I came across Perez family.
Amardeep you may also noticed that Sarita Chowdhury of Mira Nair’s famed Mississipi Masala and Kamasutra also makes a cameo appearance in Perez Family whizzing past on roller blades
Brij, I missed Sarita, though I did catch Mira Nair’s funny cameo (she’s the driver in a car, who says to Marisa Tomei’s character, “You tempt me!” as she buys flowers from her).
Also, there was a funny sequence in a disco where there’s this random Sikh guy dancing — another great Nair touch.
Filmiholic, there may be more “blasts from the past,” vis a vis Nair at least.
Congrats on tying in the diasporic (I’m making it a word) parallels between Cubans and Indians. I’m convinced that we have a lot more in common with our fellow browns than most uncles will admit.
I did not notice Mira because I was too immersed in Marisa Tomei 😉 Sarita actually whizzes past twice and in fact camera focuses on her once when she stops. This happens when they show the young boy initially selling stuff and whom Marisa Tomei adopts later on as her son.
I saw this movie last year, on a Saturday afternoon when I was supposed to be running errands. It started as I was transferring stuff from one purse to another, checking lists, tying on my ankle brace etc…I proceeded to get nothing done. 🙂 I loved it, and I didn’t expect to, couldn’t tear myself away.
I caught Mira Nair’s cameo and I thought Marisa Tomei did an outstanding job as Dorita.
I remember that the movie didn’t get many good reviews because none of the actors were of Cuban descent. If Mira Nair was able to cast Andy Garcia perhaps, the reviews may have been better.
Funny, I’ve occasionally thought about “The Perez Family” (have never seen it), but entirely forgot that it was directed by Nair. I think I always avoided it because I assumed Marisa Tomei must have given an over-the-top melodramatic performance that would evoke Maria Conchita Alonso channelling Rita Moreno. Glad to see commenters praising her performance here; I may need to check this out.
It’s often interesting to view multiple cinematic/artistic treatments of directors/writers of one ethnicity interpreting the experiences of those of another. Thanks for exploring that here. I know a lot of people probably don’t like this example, but I also found that to be true and enjoyed the way Gurinder Chadha did that it “What’s Cooking.”
Please don’t floor us with your next post on Nair’s oeuvre by gushing about the finer subtleties and kernels of beauty in “Hysterical Blindness.” If that happens, I just might need a defibrillator.
Hey Amardeep, maybe instead of an SM book club, a film club might be the thing….. can you give us a heads up on what Nair opus you’re going to watch next, and we could go along too?
Please don’t floor us with your next post on Nair’s oeuvre by gushing about the finer subtleties and kernels of beauty in “Hysterical Blindness.” If that happens, I just might need a defibrillator.
Kusala, I’ve never seen Hysterical Blindness — though I should warn you that it might be fair game if there’s any kernel of a desi connection in it. Writing for Sepia Mutiny has turned me into one of those “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” people, except my parlor game is “Six Degrees of There Must be a Desi Connection, Somewhere, Goddamnit.”
Filmiholic, it depends on what I can get my hands on next. I’ve never seen Nair’s contribution to that “controversial” collection of “September 11” shorts, so that might be next. After that, the Salaam Bombay DVD (hopefully she did director’s commentary on that one too).
I’ll watch just about any movie with Marisa Tomei in it. She’s a very underrated actress, despite having an Oscar.
George agrees.
said
Amardeep, I have to say, I can’t recall even the most remote bit of a desi connection, though my memory may not be the best since the whole experience practially made me bleed out my ears. I trust you will discover it if there is one, however. I urge you to seek it out and watch it, if only so you can summarize the artistry for those of us who failed to grasp it.
As a native of New Jersey, I am tempted to have Ms. Nair charged with a Hate Crime against Garden State Citizenry for her involvement with that project. Pardon me while I make a hasty retreat to try to beat the statute of limitations…
She did do so, and I found it much more compelling than that of The Namesake, which was still quite interesting in its own right.
“”Filmiholic, it depends on what I can get my hands on next. I’ve never seen Nair’s contribution to that “controversial” collection of “September 11″ shorts, so that might be next. After that, the Salaam Bombay DVD (hopefully she did director’s commentary on that one too).””
Amardeep. IFC or Sundance Channel have played the shorts collection a few times in the past year.
I recently saw this movie, too, didnt care for it. I generally find it difficult to not be annoyed and distracted by “foreingers speak english with funny accents among themselves” movies. This movie is much better without sound. It’s pleasing to look at, good colors. It’s also among the most ridiculous and stereotypical hot hot hot bullshit latino representations ever made, with the brother in law half scarface half desi arnaz and a bunch of other stuff. And the girl’s john wayne fantasy is annoying, too.
One of mira nair’s better movies is “Hysterical blindness” for hbo, which I like better than this in that it also takes on an ethnic group other than indians, but doesn’t mock it in the same way. It also deals with color differently as there’s a seeming blandness to new jersey but the way juliette lewis and uma thurman work and the other things she does with the hysterical distortions are all good. I also like the hand held which she uses in that and in monsoon wedding.
“But perhaps many earlier Indian immigrants are themselves somewhat more conservative than one might expect, perhaps because of the “artifact†of U.S. immigration law up through 1980 — which made it relatively easy for doctors and engineers to come in.”
In my experience, these older indians, even when wealthy, have been pretty consistently to the left of mainstream politics and so the assumption here is off. alot of cubans are catholic and don’t like abortions. Plus the US relationship with Cuba is very different. 90 miles doesn’t make for as much of a new culture. Florida and Cuba have never been too far apart. I find the parallel forced.
I liked Sarita and recognized her.