Entre Nos

The problem of husbands and fathers abandoning their families unfortunately is not limited to the Hispanic culture.  It is very prevalent in African American cultures, and is not uncommon throughout America.  Mariana was placed in a dire situation when she was left with no way of getting a job.  Her children were young and needed supervision. She had no green card to seek employment.  On top of all that, her rent was not up to date and they lost the apartment as well as the meager possessions in the apartment.  Mariana had no support systems.  She had no friends, no family, and no doubt she was illegally in the country and afraid to seek assistance from the government or any organization.  Typically, an American woman would have at least one of these support systems.  That is not to say that it is not a desperate situation, but usually the women and children do not end up on the street sleeping, or digging through trash for cans. 

I would say it was Mariana's strong character and upbeat attitude in the worst of times that kept her little family together.  While watching this film, I was very sad, but thought it was a fictional story.  When I read the postscripts, I was truly amazed.  Often these families end up in gangs, but she was determined to care for her children.  She motivated her children to become hard working, strong individuals.  In the end the movie was inspiring to me. 

Brenda Johnson