Miguel Arteta’s “Star Maps” sample essay

Miguel Arteta’s primary purpose of “Star Maps” was to depict the fame pursuit of a Latino individual, a young street hustler with ambitious dreams of becoming a movie stardom. Having escaped from his abusive father and spent two years in Mexico, Carlos finally returns to his dysfunctional family home with unrealistic hopes to become another Hollywood celebrity. Simulteneously, his unrealistic but passionate visions are constrasting with the violent, degrading world of his father Pepe, which sells star maps to tourists and young Latino boys for interested customers.

Artera utilizes the image of prostitution in order to reveal the peculiarity of relations between people within small Latino community, lost in the crossroads of Los Angeles. Attending the American Film Institute, Arteta explains that “everybody in this film is longing to be somebody else” (Saavedro, 25). The depicted Latino society is extremely insecure about itself, however its individual members want to become movie stars. The essence of “Star Maps” is the reflection of difficult social and economic situation of Latinos in Hollywood, hence in the entire America. On Sunset Boulevard young Latino boys sell maps to tourists who want to see where the celebrities live, and simultaneously they give away part of their dreams, “star maps.” Across Los Angeles about 45 percent of the population is Latino, however this community is represented merely by gardeners, domestic workers and those who sell star maps.

Being considerably based upon personal experience as Latino, Arteta succeeded in filling the film with cultural spitituality either in the form of Pepe’s awfulness or Carlos’s surreal existence. However, what exactly powers the movie is twisted and controversial psychodrama of the family. From the critical point of view, “Star Maps” confidently depicts Latino stereotypes, the family in particular. Pepe’s maleevolent influence has destroyed family’s basic concepts: Carlos’s mother experienced a severe mental breakdown, all connection between family members boiled down to a price tag, and love became another commodity. Having retreated into a fantasy world, Carlos encounters a soap opera star Jennifer, which hires Carlos only because she “just wants a poor Mexican boy to fuck.” Arteta put the main emphasis of the movie in the contrast of Jennifer’s slick, insulated world and Carlos’s tense, difficult existence. During the scene when Jennifer invites Carlos to her house for the first time, the camera slowly goes by Latino gardener, brandishing a leaf blower, however a soap star does not even register his presence as human.

Wandering in and out of reality, the dream life he longs for and the exploitative surroundings, Carlos becomes a tragic character utterly used, both by his family and by the white lady who promises to help him but really only sees him as a sex object. The core of his Latino family is located somewhere between the couch potato, libidinious Uncle Fester, Juancito, the cracked mother Teresa and trapped sister Maria. However, in order to fullfill his ultimate dream, Carlos should recover from his nightmare family. Where can an individual find the confidence to abstract from existing system of values, and how can one gain own self-worth in particula dead end. According to Arteta’s personal experience, people should not walk away from their abusive parents, however they should challenge.

Bibliography

1. Saavedro M. Culture Myth on a Scene. Boston Books, 2001.Order custom essay now!