Charlotte Gutierrez
Synopsis
Juan or Juan? is 20 minute narrative comedy about a teenage boy struggling to explore his
cultural identity as a Mexican-American in the midst of conflicting values between his family and
people in his community. The film looks at the problems of both self-perception and outside perception,
and how we in the United States form and perceive cultural and racial identity and “authenticity.” The
characters in the film grapple with both identity obsession, and the denial of, or indifference to identity
questions. I believe that comedy can be a great way to explore these often charged issues, in a context
where poignant, ironic or emotional situations can be highlighted without being didactic, heavy-handed,
or overly sentimental.
Treatment
When 15 year old John Lopez loses his scholarship to a private high school, he is forced to enroll
in a local public high school where he is a fish out of water. At his private school he stood out as
different for being both Mexican American and from a working class background. At the new public
high school, he is seen as different because he is perceived as not authentically Mexican American
enough, and is criticized for it. He doesn’t speak Spanish, he has never seen Mexico, and he doesn’t
know anything about his cultural history. His parents want their children to assimilate in the name of
having an easier life than they did, and they don’t understand his frustrations. Caught in the middle, his
main dilemma is how to be “authentic” and in his efforts to do this he tries to emulate people he
observes in the latino community. He tries out becoming a Cholo, a “Aztlan/La Raza” activist, and
dresses as a Zoot Suiter for picture day at his school, and even adopts a gangsta persona for a short time.
He also decides his new name is “Juan” and insists that everyone must call him this. In grappling with
his “Mexican American-ness,” he struggles with being authentic for his neighborhood/community while
figuring out the contradictions and complications and what it means to be himself.
Sound Design
Sound will be VERY important in my film, and will be used to introduce some of the characters,
set emotional tone and give and establish a sense of place
Proposal
Goals
Humor is a great way to illuminate and address facets of race, identity and stereotypes. The
teenage years can be a painful, thrilling and humiliating time, and we need more movies that can look at
the experiences of people of color growing up, and takes them out of the context of stereotypes. To do
this with humor is even rarer. My film attempts to address my characters in a thoughtful way, through
elements of satire and farce, but without becoming slapstick. Some of the humor will be about the
ridiculous/absurd situations of everyday life.
Theoretical Framing
Authenticity
What does it mean to be a “real” or authentic part of any race, religion, nationality, or group?
According to Kenneth L. Karst “Identity itself is a myth-a myth of origin, or destiny, or both. We "make
up people," inventing categories, giving each category not only a label but an imagined history and an
imagined behavioral script-and then deciding, Yes or No, whether particular individuals should be
assigned to the category.” (Myths of Identity: Individual and Group Portraits of Race and Sexual
Orientation, 283-84). This could certainly be the case within American youth subcultures, where people
pick and choose categories to align themselves to, categories which on the surface are often defined by
clothing, musical choices, and hairstyles. Examples of this include punk rockers, emo, goth, hippies, and
rockers. Unlike other national youth cultures (such as Great Britain) where subculture and identity is
often tied to class, American youth culture often self selects different identity ghettos in order to place
themselves in a larger (often rebellious) identity context. This is not specifically related to class or
ethnicity but is part of a larger youth culture hunt for identity in the U.S. This brings up the notion of
identity switching in the context of ethnic identity.
Identity Switching
Identity switching is a phenomenon studied in the fields of psychology, and sociology, and in
linguistics, where it is referred to as “code switching” in reference to the language component. Within
fields, there is much debate on the meaning and definition of identity and code switching. For purposes
of this paper I am using a sociological definition from Elijah Anderson a University of Pennsyvania
professor of sociology. He began to outline ideas of identity switching in his book "Code of the Street:
Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City.” From Anderson's introduction, he brings up
the cultural idea of "code switching" identity. Different contexts may require different identities.
According to Anderson, in order to fit in, people will alter their behavior according to the “codes” or
norms of the group. Anderson refers to members of the group as “actors.’ This usually also involves
using different speech and speech patterns in a given situation. But does the ability to travel across
identity lines beg a different question. Is this ability also an indication of class or class status? Within a
race, there are those who may not have the ability to “switch” to “proper” English in a context where it
may be demanded. A Mexican immigrant working as a maid with an accent may not have the same
opportunites to “switch.” Does this then imply that class maneuverability may be determined by
education? In order to scale up the class ladder it may, but within a group, perhaps it remains a way to fit
in or to gain acceptance by adopting the speech of a group. In the context of my thesis, in an effort to
write his own creation myth, our protagonist Juan is engaging in identity switching.
Blackity Black: CB4
Chris Rock’s film “CB4” focuses on the creation of identity for the purposes of profit – a group of
suburban African American teenagers realize that if they want to become a famous band, they need to
assume a gansta persona to be seen as “authentic.” In one scene, a character performs a song called
“Blackity Black.” He presents an Afro Centric artist image and exaggerates a usually positive message
to the extent where it is easily mockable and devoid of any actual message. No longer affirming the
power in blackness, it is lampooning identity validity/authenticity or credentials. It also
demonstrates the possibility that an authentic identity is a commodity: the right identity can be
purchased if you buy the right clothing. And in the case of the characters in CB4, the ruse works for
them and they find money and success.
In the case of John orJuan? our main character goes through a process of trying on
identities - Identity Switching - in his hunt to figure out who he is. This is not just part of finding one’s
self - identity switching often has many practical purposes: acceptance / passing in the community,
safety (to be seen as other is to become a target), and to find your voice/community via experimentation.
Identity: Not A Myth!
Although Karst sees identity, or how one is perceived, as a choice, this is not always so. Choice in
living a “myth,” as Karst describes it, is less available for some than for others. Ian F. Haney Lopez, a
sociologist, sees it differently: "ln every circumstance choices are exercised not by free agents or
autonomous actors, but by people who are compromised and constrained by the social context...Society
thrusts a racial identity on minorities of certain phenotypes.” (The Social Construction of Race: Some
Observations on Illusion). Who and what defines this is usually thought of as a dominant white culture.
People will make assumptions based on how someone looks, if they are more indigenous looking or fair
skinned, on the color of their hair, the list goes on, creating constraints that usually result in racial
stereotyping and an identity that gets imposed upon someone.
What does it mean to be a “real” or authentic part of any race, religion, nationality, or group?
According to Kenneth L. Karst “Identity itself is a myth-a myth of origin, or destiny, or both. We "make
up people," inventing categories, giving each category not only a label but an imagined history and
animagined behavioral script-and then deciding, Yes or No, whether particular individuals should be
assigned to the category.” (Myths of Identity: Individual and Group Portraits of Race and Sexual
Orientation, 283-84).
This could certainly be the case within American youth subcultures, where people pick and choose
categories to align themselves to, categories which on the surface are often defined by clothing, musical
choices, and hairstyles. Examples of this include punk rockers, emo, goth, hippies, and rockers. Unlike
other national youth cultures (such as Great Britain) where subculture and identity is often tied to class,
American youth culture often self selects different identity ghettos in order to place themselves in a
larger (often rebellious) identity context. This is not specifically related to class or ethnicity but is part of
a larger youth culture hunt for identity in the U.S. This brings up the notion of identity switching in the
context of ethnic identity.
Self-Directed Stereotypes
Definition:
Harriet Margolis defines self-directed stereotypes as “the use of stereotypes normally used to
target a group by that specific group to undermine the stereotype.”
Image Policing
Christine List (1992) discusses the pressure of minority groups to generate positive images through their
art. This is a concept commonly called image policing. Cheech Marin, instead of image policing, uses a
strategy where he takes a negative stereotype in a humorous situation to expose the stereotype as a
device of racism which can begin a process of devaluing that stereotype (Christine List 1992).
His strategy involves the use of overboard images of these stereotypical images in his strategy and
shows negative images of other groups to show “sameness”. Other comedians who use this include Dave
Chapelle, Keenan Ivory Wayans and Robert Townsend