The fight for fair wages -- a timeless struggle -- is at the center of Diego Luna's biopic Cesar Chavez. The film follows the titular labor leader and civil-rights activist (Michael Peña) as he launches a movement in support of underpaid farm workers during the 1960s.
Chavez and his fellow laborers are fundamentally pitted against Bogdanovich (John Malkovich), a wealthy farm owner trying his absolute damnedest to maintain the low-wage status quo out in his grape fields. In Bogdanovich's corner are powerful friends in government and law enforcement, on whom Bogdanovich relies heavily in order to carry out the will of his iron fist. But despite the seemingly uphill battle, Chavez's relentless persistence and supernatural ability to rally followers make the matchup less like David vs. Goliath and more like Foreman vs. Ali, with the fighters going blow-for-blow to the bitter end.
Chavez's efforts to secure fairer wages begin with simple unionizing among the farm workers, and then quickly grow to the organizing of an effective labor strike. Bogdanovich is ultimately victorious in his attempts to break the strike, leading Chavez to take more drastic measures, including a march to the California state capital in Sacramento and a successful boycott on Bogdanovich's grapes. Bogdanovich then tries selling his product overseas to circumvent the stateside grape boycott, giving him temporary triumph, only to have Chavez expand the boycott internationally, which proves to be the final nail in Bogdanovich's coffin.
Luna's lengthy background in acting undoubtedly contributed to his success in getting the most from his cast, whose heartfelt performances rang true from scene to scene. Everyone carried their weight on set, from Peña's masterful portrayal of everyman Chavez to Malkovich's stirring creation in the complex antagonist Bogdanovich. The hand-held camerawork, while at times overdone, allowed for a more intimate connection with our characters onscreen, who, like the shaky frame, were equally rough around the edges.
While the balanced screenplay from writers Keir Pearson and Timothy J. Sexton does a nice job of pulling us in as it chronicles the events and milestones of the farm workers' labor movement, it did little to allow us to get to know Chavez himself, which you might not expect given the title of the film. We're told to believe that Chavez's only source of motivation comes from the need to ensure a brighter future for his family, but in the end it seemed more like he simply had a bone to pick with The Man. The B story following Chavez's frosty relationship with his oldest and increasingly withdrawn son Fernando (Eli Vargas) felt shoe-horned into the script, and provided little insight into who Chavez was as a human being when he wasn't serving as the face of a revolution.
The film's goal to inspire is achieved, however, even if it falls short of truly showing us whom we're being inspired by. Anyone who can appreciate a worker's right to a fair day's wage can relate to Chavez's plight; Luna, Peña and Co. take care of the rest.