American Beauty

I really loved American Beauty. Kevin Spacey’s acting is great. Actually, all the movie is great. It’s good for us, poor latinos, to see the "americans" admiting their own misery. And that’s what happened when I was there, seeing an american family being destroyed by hate and foolishness. I have to admit, it made me think about my own family. I don’t want to have an ordinary life, with a normal family. I don’t want to build up a prison around me. I want to be free. So, I can’t keep forcing Maisa to do what she doesn’t want to do. I can’t force her to go to my relatives houses and to pretend to be happy instead of being what she really is: a very simple woman who hates being among that kind of people. She’s not used to go to family parties or meetings like me and I’m not going to force her to this anymore. But she has to give me something too, some freedom, some place to live without anyone, some time to be alone, by myself.
Belo Horizonte, March, 2000.