¡americanos!: Latino Life in the United States
NR.
Directed by Susan Todd, Andrew Young.

Last year, the most popular name in Los Angeles for newborns was Jose. Susan Todd and Andrew Young’s documentary focuses on the undeniable Latino presence in modern America as well as the continuing struggle for Latinos to find their identity (one humorous sequence finds subjects arguing about the Chicano/Latino/Hispanic moniker). Interview subjects include El Vez, the flamboyant “Chicano Elvis” whose repertoire includes a song called “I’m Not Hispanic”; Aida Alvarez, the first Hispanic woman to become a member of any president’s Cabinet, criticized for not looking Hispanic enough; and Mariposa, a Puerto Rican spoken-word poet, fighting prejudice from her family for being “American.”

This article appears in August 11 • 2000.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US