The film Quinceanera revolves around the story of a teenage girls Magdalena, who is about to turn fifteen and celebrate her Quinceanera ceremony. Quinceanera is a traditional ceremony among the Hispanic communities that mark the transition from girlhood into womanhood. In this film, Magdalena undergoes various social transitions.The first transition experienced by Magdalena involved her passage from teenage life to adulthood.
Celebration of Quinceanera traditionally marks the transition of girls from teenage to adulthood at the age of 15. This did not just have an age implication but also demanded for a change in the way of living by Magdalena as a lot will now be expected from her, in terms of responsibilities and conduct, once she perform this right of passage.Days before her Quinceanera party Magdalena discovers that she is pregnant.
This discovery changes her life as she clear understood what the pregnancy and having the baby clearly means to her. This new occurrence drastically shifts Magdalena’s life from that of a teenage girl with little responsibility and whose mind was occupied by fun to this young woman faced with a huge responsibility of raising a baby. Magdalena had to adjust herself to accommodate this unexpected but very drastic change.
The third transition involved Magdalena leaving her family with whom she had lived with the whole of her life to go and live with her granduncle in a life that she barely used to. Discovery of Magdalena’s pregnancy brought a lot of tension in the family which eventually drove Magdalena away. The lifestyle she found at her granduncles place was completely different from what she was used to at home especially having to deal with her gay cousin. This transition also required a lot of adjustments.
Reference
Glatzer R. & Westmoreland (Director), Emily Rio (Actress). Quinceanera (motion pictures). Sony (production house)
