Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas (2006)

The famous Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City jump-starts Rosie Perez's witty take on Puerto Rican culture. The parade marches to its own ecstatic beat, as does its people through triumph and indignity. Perez, the Academy Award®-nominated actress turned filmmaker, never lets the footing get too heavy. She and codirector Oscar®-nominated documentarian Liz Garbus enlighten through humor and Perez's own sparkling presence. Weaving snippets of Perez and her family with thought-provoking history narrated by actor Jimmy Smits, the filmmakers render a pastiche of unbridled optimism. The title is a contagious colloquial chant of the island's indigenous people, the Taíno. Puerto Ricans do not doubt their identity, the subjects of the film tell us, but they are determined to let the rest of the world know who they are. Pride, often an overused word, comes alive in a documentary that goes down as easily as a frothy cocktail-and still packs a punch. American exploitation and the fight for political clout are no laughing matters but Boricua shows that toughness sometimes means laughing in the face of such obstacles. In one funny bit, Perez encounters an acute case of mistaken perception on her way to a speaking engagement. As her brethren illustrate throughout the film, the show must go on. Puerto Ricans' contributions to the arts and their inextricable link to New York City (Perez grew up in Bushwick, Brooklyn, just so you know!) reveal the beating heart of a small island whose arteries course throughout society. - Ron Dicker

not what you would think

yeah, i would like to politely ask amazon to not ask me to review any thing un less they are willing to pay me. Thanks Rob November 3, 2008

It's Just Awful-PERIOD!

Don't let my name fool you, I know the Island of Puerto Rico and the people of the island well.It's a great place with many many wonderful people.
Granted, the slant here is on a Nuyorican viewpoint, except that
Rosie Perez and company never really get to a concrete reason of what and why they should be so "proud". Instead, she concentrates on the style of displays the annual parades emphasize,NOT on the real struggles and culture of the island, and why the status problem, at this stage is
actually OFFENSIVE.
This vanity project should never have been green lighted, and likely was done only because of ignorance; you won't really learn much about Puerto Rico here.
Boricuas deserve better....sorry,Rosie. June 5, 2008

Yo Soy Boricua

Total disappointment. Video is offensive, vulgar, badly made and does not address the key issues facing the Puertorican people and the political future of the island. It had neither a plot nor a reason. Regret buying it, would never recommend it to anyone. April 3, 2008

Bravo!

I think rosie perez did a fine job putting this documentary together. I really enjoyed it. March 11, 2008

Proud Boriqua......

This is one amazing video to show the new generation....it's not boring and very informative to those who don't know our culture....This will be one video that it will be mandatory to watch for anyone coming to my home, lol..... March 1, 2008

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