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Teacher Review of the film Almost a Woman
By Ann Gann Almost A Woman
is clearly a story of personal triumph: a Puerto Rican teenager successfully transitions into a new environment and to young adulthood. Santiago's memoir of her time in New York City is emotionally charged. The conflicts of two cultures, family trials, and inner turmoil as well as the bond of a close family - all surge through Negi. Yet it is the struggle with these conflicts and the support of family that mold within Negi the strength to become her own person. The audience is swept from one scene to the next as Negi wrestles to find a balance between her past and her present. The emotional pull of Puerto Rico and her father creates a double-edged sword: a wish to return to her innocence and a source of strength and inspiration. The challenges of a new language and life style juxtaposed with the opportunity for a better life through education. Authenticity is found throughout the movie: the Latino cast, speaking Spanish/English with a Puerto Rican accent, the sixties style of clothes and apartments, and the family obligation and love. While
Almost A Woman is the story of Esmeralda Santiago, a Puerto Rican, we cannot ignore the universal theme of coming of age. Teenagers of all times and all races endure hardships of varying
degrees. The power of this movie is found in the discovery of self and the dominance of the human spirit. Young people will identify with Negi as she is torn between two worlds and as she seeks to find
her true voice amid the confusion. Negi's story is one that offers hope to those on the arduous journey of self-discovery.
Ann Gann is an English teacher at Clinton High School in Clinton, TN |
