The film concentrates on the Grape Boycott era of the life of Cesar Chavez (Michael Peña ). The blight of the workers is shown in one quick interview where we find out they don't own anything and are illiterate. Chavez helps them by organizing them and giving them a weekly paper to read. The strike proved ineffective as rich evil Republicans brought illegals into the country to break their back. It wasn't until a national and European boycott of US grapes forced the evil John Malkovich to the table. It was all apparently started by a housewife from Portland.
The film also covers the 25 day hunger strike of Chavez which was broken by black and white nightmares of evil Governor Reagan film footage. The film touches on his rocky relationship with his son and his chauvinistic attitude toward his wife. The charm and organizing ability of Chavez is briefly covered when he had to work the fields to gain the trust of the workers. RFK is also in the film as a Chavez supporter. His death, apparently caused by Reagan and vineyard owners, resulted in immediate shootings of picket line workers.
I enjoyed the part of the Latino community reaching out to help the Filipino community. One of the reasons unions were not as strong as they could have been in America (especially the south) is due to racism. White people don't want black people in their unions which made it easy to break them or keep them from forming.
This is an okay docudrama, but did little to raise my level of awareness or sympathy.
Filmed in Mexico because it would be too hard to find enough legal looking Mexicans in the US.
Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.
The film also covers the 25 day hunger strike of Chavez which was broken by black and white nightmares of evil Governor Reagan film footage. The film touches on his rocky relationship with his son and his chauvinistic attitude toward his wife. The charm and organizing ability of Chavez is briefly covered when he had to work the fields to gain the trust of the workers. RFK is also in the film as a Chavez supporter. His death, apparently caused by Reagan and vineyard owners, resulted in immediate shootings of picket line workers.
I enjoyed the part of the Latino community reaching out to help the Filipino community. One of the reasons unions were not as strong as they could have been in America (especially the south) is due to racism. White people don't want black people in their unions which made it easy to break them or keep them from forming.
This is an okay docudrama, but did little to raise my level of awareness or sympathy.
Filmed in Mexico because it would be too hard to find enough legal looking Mexicans in the US.
Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.