Mi Vida Loca

A detailed Summary of Mi Vida Loca

Mi Vida Loca means "my crazy life (as a girl)." The movie documents the phenomenon of female gangs in the early nineties in Los Angeles. It is written and directed by Allison Anders, who grew up in Los Angeles and went to UCLA. She uses personal experiences to help influence her story writing. In Echo Park, a group of young Mexican-Americans show what it means to live in the inner city. The film looks at gang lifestyle from a woman's point of view to uncover relationships, conflicts, gang loyalty, and identity. The "homegirls" portray their female friendships through their daily lives of survival in Echo Park. It is a rough life with almost every "homegirl" having a baby by the time they are twenty-one and almost every "homeboy" being handicapped, killed, or in jail by the time they reach their early twenties. The girls try to become autonomous from the men in their lives by forming their own female gang. The gang culture of Mi Vida Loca reflects and constructs culturally understood gender roles.

The basic plot is based around two Chicano girls and their childhood lives. The movie is split up into three episodes. Maribel "Mousie" and Mona "Sad Girl" were childhood best friends that become enemies over a b

The male gangsters agree on selling Suavecito without ever consulting the females. They don't feel the need for any input from the "weaker" gender. This machismo attitude reflects the gender role of the powerful male. Decisions on the car are made swiftly in the gangster lair one afternoon. The girls wouldn't even have known this happened if it wasn't for Giggles hearing it from Big Sleepy.

Ernesto has both Mousie and Sad Girl under his control and trust at the same time. He reflects the gender role of defining masculinity through controlling women. French reasons why men feel the need to control women:

Sad Girl's sister, Alicia "La Blue Eyes", is a college girl who is infatuated with a prisoner (tercido) named Juan Temido. She constantly writes him love letters and doesn't socialize much with her sister's gang. Juan is actually "El Duran", the cross-town rival River Valley gang who claims ownership of Ernesto's mini-truck. When he becomes a free man, he crushes Blue Eyes' heart by never writing to her again.

Big Sleepy demonstrates the gender role of a male well. His mate left him for an unknown reason, and he assumes it was his "gansta life." French comments on men and love, "They [men] imagine that success, or the demonstration of "manliness," will bring them love, instead it alienates those they love. They feel cheated: and they blame women" (144). Giggles initiates the female role when she sleeps with him. She is on top of him during sex, not in the missionary position. This means that she is almost serving him because of his dominance over her. When he tells her he will take care of here, she immediately withdrawals back. She remembers the last time a man said that to her. That person is the same man who was killed and caused her to serve four years in jail. Giggles wants to break the stereotypical gender role by becoming independent.

oy, Ernesto. Sad Girl is the main narrator of the movie. This drug dealer first falls for Mousie, but then gets Sad Girl pregnant also. He spends most of his money on his two babies and his prize possession, Suavecito, his mini-truck. The two young mothers arrange a fight one-on-one for a bloody confrontation. Neither of them gets hurt, but Ernesto is shot by one of his Caucasian clients on the same night. With Ernesto out of both of their lives, they can move on and earn back each other's friendship.

Ernesto isn't truly intimate with either girl, for if he was, he would not be cheating on them. He has to fulfill these manly roles of "taking" the girl. If he can have two at once, it is seen as all the better. His "homies" ba

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sad Girl, Girl Women, Anhenica Giggles, Sleepy Sleepy, El Duran, Loca Growing, Blue Eyes, Vida Loca, Echo Park, Little Sleepy, gender role, el duran, gender roles, sad girl, vida loca, mi vida loca, mi vida, la blue eyes, reflects gender, little sleepy, la blue, blue eyes, reflects gender role, mousie sad girl, female gender role,

Approximate Word count = 1766
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts