Boricua (2004)
Directed by Marisol Torres
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Synopsis by Mark Deming
A handful of Hispanic-Americans find themselves looking at themselves and their culture in this independent comedy drama. It's a few days away from the annual Puerto Rican Day celebration in Chicago, and a woman (Christina De Leon) is preparing for a beauty pageant that's part of the festivities. However, while she looks Latino, she's actually Caucasian, and she finds herself needing a forged birth certificate in order to compete as a Puerto Rican. Meanwhile, Lola (Aimee Garcia) is a bright but rebellious college student who falls into a relationship with a bad-boy drug dealer (Ramses Jimenez); however, while she thinks she understands him, he isn't sure how he feels about a woman who's so obviously smarter than he is, and isn't afraid to question his authority. And German (Eric Aviles) has recently landed a job with a real-estate firm; while, by his nature, he's a good natured and compassionate sort, he finds himself working with a team of ruthless salesmen and must decide how far he's willing to exploit his Latin roots or the affections of others in order to make a deal. Boricua was the first feature film from writer and director Marisol Torres.