Quinceañera (film)

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Quinceañera
Promotional poster for Quinceañera
Directed by	Richard Glatzer Wash Westmoreland
Produced by	Anne Clements
Written by	Richard Glatzer Wash Westmoreland
Starring	Emily Rios Jesse Garcia David W. Ross
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics
Release date(s)	August 4, 2006
Running time	90 minutes
Language	English/Spanish
IMDb profile

Quinceañera (released in the UK as 'Echo Park, L.A.') is a film written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland.

The film is set in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California.

This film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the Independent Film Competition: Dramatic category at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. This film deals with the two young Hispanic cousins who become estranged from their families; Magdalena for her pregnancy, and Carlos for his sexuality.

The film was also selected to play in the 2006 Berlin Film Festival before being picked up for US distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Magdalena, who is preparing for her Quinceañera, discovers that she is pregnant. At first her boyfriend doesn't believe her, because the sex they had was without penetration. When her father, the minister in a storefront church, learns of her predicament, he doesn't believe that she is a virgin, and banishes her from their home. Abandoned by her boyfriend and her family, she moves in with her elderly great-uncle, Tomas.

Also living with Tomas is Magdalena's cousin, Carlos, who works at a car wash, and has also been banished by his parents because they suspect he is gay. Tomas's new landlords, a gay couple, invite Carlos to their housewarming party, and subsequently seduce him. Carlos begins an affair with one of them; when the other discovers the affair, Tomas and his young charges are evicted from their home.

Magdalena and Carlos each try to save their little family. Magdalena tries to find them all a home, and Carlos resolves to find a better job so that he can support them while Magdalena finishes school. Overcome with grief at losing his home, Tomas dies. This results in a reunion between Magdalena and her mother, who takes Magdalena to a doctor. The doctor confirms that Magdalena's hymen is intact, and that pregnancy without sexual intercourse is possible. Magdalena reconciles with her parents, and the film ends with Carlos delivering an emotional tribute to Tomas at Tomas's funeral.