Customer Reviews

Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas!

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'm 24 yrs old, born in the Bronx, 100% Boricua and I'm so thankful that Rosie did this project. I was able to relate to it easily, I was drawn by the information provided and the places visited and it truly inspired me to want to go deeper into my history as a puertorriqueña... I feel that Rosie did an excellent job, and i'm not looking at it as a student, activist, intellectual, i saw it as a young women flipping channels and happened to catch the first minutes of it on the Independent Film Channel and was hooked. I'm glad she didn't put more into it b/c it left me wanting to do some research of my own but I'm glad that she related herself and some of her own family "bochinche" to help those watching realize that we are all alike... Please support this documentary, it may pave the way for others to come that may suffice in the areas in which this one may have lacked for some.

This film consists of two dynamics. First, Rosie and some of her same-age relatives visit the Island, discuss family history, attend the Puerto Rican Parade in New York, etc. Second, Jimmy Smits narrates important parts of Puerto Rican, including Nuyorican history, such as Taino culture, governmental sterilization, military exploitation of Vieques, etc.

Some have critiqued the documentary saying it is too-focused on Rosie and that she somewhat "dumbs down" the subject matter. However, I think Rosie produced and directed it and so this may be her first ventures in those positions. I also think her presence was to make the work easily viewable by laypeople and not just academics, activists, and students. The documentary tries hard to interview men and women equally, but it still leans more toward men. Thus, Rosie's presence may be a gender-mitigating matter. I really think this work is meant for young Puerto Ricans to see. Thus, I am surprised that it has so much cursing in it. Jimmy Smits did an excellent job in narrating the work. I hope that he gets more narration opportunities as Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, and Harvey Fierstein have.

Given time and budget constraints, this work had to cursorily touch many issues. Still, I thought more could have been said about Puerto Rican music and syncretic religious practices. Rosie and her relative Sixto mention African ancestry as if it were just one of many flavors in the Puerto Rican mix. However, huge percentages of Caribbeans are part-Black and I wish this had been emphasized. Jimmy Smits too skips over Black matters by first talking about the indigenous islanders and then skipping to the American capture of the island from the Spanish. The more than 300 years of African slavery that only ended in 1873 barely comes up. Rosie refers to Dr. Albizu Campos as "our Martin Luther King," but no one mentions the many similarities between the Puerto Rican Young Lords and the African-American Black Panthers. This is odd given that I heard Black Americans and Puerto Ricans get along really well in New York City, especially among the elected officials.

This would be a great work for those who do not anything about Puerto Ricans. I think this would be great to watch alongside of reading "Puerto Ricans in the United States" by Maria Perez y Gonzalez.

Don't let my name fool you, I know the Island of Puerto Rico and the people of the island well.It's a great place with many many wonderful people.
Granted, the slant here is on a Nuyorican viewpoint, except that
Rosie Perez and company never really get to a concrete reason of what and why they should be so "proud". Instead, she concentrates on the style of displays the annual parades emphasize,NOT on the real struggles and culture of the island, and why the status problem, at this stage is
actually OFFENSIVE.
This vanity project should never have been green lighted, and likely was done only because of ignorance; you won't really learn much about Puerto Rico here.
Boricuas deserve better....sorry,Rosie.

This documentary was great for my family because my wife is Puerto Rican and I am not. We used it to teach our children about their Puerto Rican heritage and I'm searching for one to use to teach them about their African and Irish heritages.

I highly recommend it.

Yes it was great to watch and entertaining in that if you are PR yourself and have no idea about your culture you should watch this as it would whett your appetite and perhaps open the door to looking further into your culture. Emeterio Betances needs more mention, the African ancestry needs more mention otherwise pretty good. I felt that Rosie mentioning that Albizu's Campos was our Che' was a bit much. Yes there are similiarities but if you are going to mention him in such a way give the background on both.

I think that it is important to also remind people that although we are different we are the same. No culture is better that the other just different and should be appreciated as such

I'm a Boriqua living in the bronx..My Parents were born in P.R. but I was born and raised in new york. I used to spend my summers in Puerto Rico. This Documentary brought back some great memories and made me want to get on a plane and go to Puerto rico. I appreciated the history lesson too! Awesome dvd for any boriqua. A must have if you ask me! And if you are not boriqua(bendito) get it anyway! You'll leearn a few things about us. My only beef? Che being compared to Pedro Albizo Campos..I don't think so. Che assasinated thousands..Don Pedro was a patriot not a murderer but thats a whole different arguement! Anyway, Stop thinking about it and but the dvd! Viva Puerto Rico y despierta boriquas!

It was a good documentary. I am glad she gave respect to Albizu Campos. Yes he was tortured by the US because he wanted independance. Puerto Ricans on the island have great respect and admiration for him don't let anybody tell you otherwise. The only aspect she never really focused on was the Afro-Rican aspect, that is where we get most of our popular music from, what gives? see it anyway, it is a good documentary for younger audiences who have not lived there.

I am a Puerto Rican born and raised in New York. During my summers I used to go to the island for vacations and got to learn a lot of history. I never got the impression that Albizu Campos was ever considered or respected in the way that Rosie Perez portrays him in the documentary. It looks like these are really Rosie's own political views and are not reflective of the community at large. I still recommend the video but would caution against accepting it all as fact.

Anyone looking to purchase this dvd should try to spend the extra couple of dollars- its what a couple of soft drinks or 1 fast food meal- and buy the new copy from Amazon- not those listed by Amazon Sellers. I am suggesting this because this is a way to support documentaries and efforts made to represent our community- if a used one or one possesed by a seller is bought it won't add any sales to this dvd and sales add to the market interest in such endeavors.


As for the documentary:
I love Rosie but I found this film to drag at times with so much exposure to her family life.
As for the history it was refreshing to see- being decently versed in Puerto Rican history there was a lot more telling info that she could have included in the film in regards to those issues that she touched upon but the fact that she even touched upon them at all was great. Most documentaries ignore the negative aspects of our history that make us who we are and put us where we are as a community- yet this sort of information empowers.
As for the discussion I see here on Pedro Albizue Campos- I do think that he was a hero because he stood up for what he saw as injustice and its a shame that he was abused after being imprisoned Federally, however many Puerto Ricans will see him as a communist etc because its whats done to people by other political parties and by the media when something threatens the current state of being that they take part in- people are antagonized as a way to silence them or take away their credibility- this is especially true in the US. I'm not that well versed on Campos but from what I know this is what I have concluded.
Lastly, I will say that after reading the reviews on here I felt disapointed by the film because I expected more, but I'm guessing that those who aren't versed in any sort of PR history especially those raised in the States found all of this eye opening- which it is when u are first exposed to it. Unfortunately, most don't think that there is much to know about our history (I know I didn't) but there is really a lot of staggering history in regards to the Island, its inhabitants, the immigration of these and the effects of American Policies on all of these.
We need more documentaries like these- instead of the mostly ethnocentric documentaries that tend to dominate.



Also, if you are looking to support Puerto Rican endeavors this film is pretty good:

http://www.amazon.com/Casi-Marian-Pabon/dp/B000N3SU6K/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1211245922&sr=8-1

And with the free shipping offer its worth the $- that is if you can spring the $25 to be eligible for free shipping. Thats just my opinion though. Wink.

Truly entertaining,there is some historical value and hidden gems of education but you should not have an expectation of a historians documentary or enlightment.This strikes nostalgia and you see Rosie and can find someone in your family she reminds you of.There is a couple of f bombs just in case your kids are around,otherwise it`s a worthy watch.