Mi Vida Loca: Allison Anders

"We girls need new skills 'cause by the time our boys are twenty-one they're either in prison or disabled...or dead." This quote from Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca is key to understanding the film and its depiction of Hispanic-American culture. In a culture where the men are destined for crime and the women to early motherhood, the organization of girls into gangs is nothing less than a survival mechanism. In Mi Vida Loca, Anders gives dives into the world of one of these gangs made up of women who grew up in Echo Park, Los Angeles. There's Mousie and Sad Girl, two best friends who almost killed each other over a man before reconciling. There's Whisper, a witness to a terrible murder who is brushed off by the authorities. And then there's Giggles, an ex-convict who just ended a four-year prison stint who has big plans for her homegirls. The film is a fascinating glimpse into female spaces in a culture dominated by depictions of (male) gang-bangers and (male) drug-dealers. However, the film loses focus in the second half when it stops centering on just the girls and concerns itself with gang politics amongst the men. Near the end there is a series of gangland murders and executions involving male characters which leaves the audience confused. Just who were these guys again? Why are they being killed? It would be one thing if Anders managed to successfully balance the male and female characters, but she doesn't. This is clearly a film about Hispanic women, so when it changes gears so drastically towards the men the effect is disorienting. But despite these flaws, Mi Vida Loca is an indispensable piece of filmmaking.

7/10