Immigrant consumption and cultural visibility in documentary films by and about Latinos

Abstract

This article analyzes two short documentaries showed at Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (Austin, Texas) and the way they discuss the symbolic meaning as well as the implications of consumption for U.S. Latinos at the personal, social, cultural, and economic levels. Shopping to Belong (Irene Sosa, 2007) insists on the performance Latinos put on in order to blend in American society and strengthen their sense of belonging, and ?Tacos o Tacos? (Robert Lemon, 2011) compares the different consumption patterns showed by Mexican immigrants and Anglos in Austin while also commenting on the hybridization of food in the Texan capital. Using immigrants as the main interviewees, both documentaries further discussions about the negotiable quality of identity, their efforts to assimilate in spite of the obstacles they might encounter, and generally speaking intergroup relations in the United States. The study takes into account the fact that the films were shown at a Latino film festival and thus, seek to offer a counter-stereotypical view of Latino immigrants and participate in the debate about their cultural visibility.