REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES

Ana (America Ferrera) is a Hispanic teenager from East LA whose dogged

determination to make something of herself has been rewarded by graduating with
honours from the Beverly Hills High School that it took her 3 buses to reach every day.
At school she mixes with the white bread world of privilege - rich kids with rich
prospects; but at home it's tortillas and sweatshops that make up her life. Her sister
Estela (played superbly by Ingrid Oliu) runs a dressmaking workshop that turns out
exquisite gowns at $18 apiece to be resold in Beverly Hills for $600 a garment. And
when Ana throws in her job at a greasy spoon diner, her wretched and overbearing
mother Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros) insists that she forgo her dreams of college life and
work with Carmen and Estela at the dress shop.

      The battles of will between Ana and her mother are of mythical proportions as
the young girl struggles to claim her own identity against the traditional views of her
mother, who frets endlessly over Ana's weight preventing her from catching a good
husband and settling down to be a good Hispanic breeder of grandchildren for Carmen
to dote over. The older woman's melodramatic and brutally blunt methods of control
know no boundaries, and she'll stop at nothing to control the life of her younger
daughter in the hope of conforming her into her idea of a husband magnet. She sees no
irony in the fact that she herself is overweight, and considers her nagging, pestering and
taunting to be an expression of motherly love. "It's because I love you that I make your
life so miserable," she confidently asserts to the poor, vexed Ana who, to her credit, is
equally as stubborn and direct as her mother.

      Ana, of course, is a hybrid. The first American born child in a Mexican family,
and educated by choice in the heartland of white America, she constantly must straddle
both cultures and has many choices to make concerning her own identity. These are
portrayed delicately and intelligently in the film, impressively directed by first time
director Patricia Cardoso. Issues of social disparity, racial inequality, sexuality and
identity are all gently explored without making the film feel didactic or syrupy. Instead,
they are portrayed like life itself - messy, understated but filled with opportunity for joy
and energy.

      Whilst the relationship with Carmen is a dynamic and challenging one, Ana has
much strength to draw from - particularly from her adored grandfather (Felipe de Alba)
and stoic father (Jorge Cervera Jr.). Her family base is large, loud, demonstrative and
ultimately supportive. They are ribald but dignified, religious but realistic, and
ultimately, they are a strong family of highly individual people.

      Over the course of time that Ana spends in the dress factory, she begins to see
the people there in a new light. Where initially she felt only contempt for the women (a
glorious ensemble cast including Soledad St. Hilaire and Lourdes Perez) and the work
they do, bit-by-bit she becomes slowly embroiled in their lives and sees them for the
dignified, courageous and flamboyant people that they are. Gradually their stories
unfold, and she learns that she may yet have more to learn about life from these women
than she originally thought. The sweatshop becomes the stage where Ana comes to see
her mother as an entire person rather than just her personal nemesis. The women gossip,
sew, swear and sweat together, and in one of the most exquisite scenes I've seen in a
long time, dance together (I won't spoil the experience for you by telling you any more.)
       Real Women Have Curves is a celebration on celluloid. It ripples with life,
avoids making cartoons out of the characters, and leaves one feeling emotionally
satisfied and empowered without having been preached to. The photography is glorious
and portrays the vividness of Hispanic life played out in the streets of East LA. It comes
as no surprise that the production crew largely came precisely from that area - there is
an intimacy and tenderness to the imagery that could probably only come from those
personally acquainted with the area.