Essay Sample: Male Machismo in the Film La Mission

From the film la mission, Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) is the main character who is streetwise and survives on his fists in the hard streets (La Mission. the USA, Hollywood: Peter Bratt, 2009. Film.). Throughout the movie, Che is portrayed as a man who has respect in his hometown due to his strength and masculinity. In the streets, he is usually spotted with low rider cars which are taken to stem his identity as an average male Mexican machismo. Average Mexican men are considered to be chauvinists and women tend to be given roles that are considered inferior like taking care of children at homes and performing houses chores. In the film, Che is an ex-con who has reformed in his old ways of life. He was used to street-gangs and hard drugs but he is now tring to take care of his high school son Jes Rivera (Jeremy Ray Valdez). In a typical Mexican family setting, males are seldom around to raise children in the family which is in contrast to Ches case. This shows that fathers or the males can take part in exchanging roles with women like washing clothes, cooking and watching over their children.

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Che lost his wife a long time before going to prison and he was left with the responsibility of taking care of his son. The film shows the emotional struggle he perseveres to win his sons trust and love back. Women tend to bond early enough with their children since childhood, and the affection becomes unconditional (Lamphere, Ragone and Zavella 223-234) Che is a man in a Mexican society which is so filled with the stereotype of men being at the epicenter of social order at the expense of the women . According to the book titled situated lives, the women portrayed are to some extent feminist and they believe that anything a man does from working in a high corporate position, being a scientist or a mechanic, they can do it even better.

The emotional struggle that women endure in raising their children sometimes is usually challenging since they undergo the stages of life. Jes Rivera from the film is a young man who is fully exercising his gay rights. Being a very polite boy and bright student, his father, does not earlier know his sons sexual orientation. Hence, his father coming to know that his son is gay, it devastates him. The neighborhood does not condone homosexuality and also he is struggling to live right by all standards. He beats him on grounds of his sexual preference and also disowns him. For instance, if the mother was there, she could have handled him with love and offered a listening ear. Despite the fact that Che does not like the fact that his son is gay, his still cares for him. The film tries to portray the aspect that a man can do something in the family no matter how simple it is. The social dimension of men and women being considered as equals and no discrimination whatsoever is a revolution that should be undertaken.

Works Cited

La Mission. USA, Hollywood: Peter Bratt, 2009. Film.

Lamphere, Louise, Helena ragone, and Patricia zavella. Situated Lives: Gender And Culture In Everyday Life. 1st ed. 2016. Print.