On Tuesday we watched Sara Gómez’s film One Way or Another (1974). We have discussed much of her non-fiction work in class so it was a nice surprise to see a mostly fictional work from her. Despite One Way or Another being mostly a work of fiction,it still contains many of the themes her documentaries explore. These include class division, intersectionality between sex and race,along with the criticizing of revolutions/revolutionaries who claim to want freedom for all people but leave black women,mothers,and those who aren’t the “right” revolutionary behind. One thing I’ve noticed is that Gómez’s works – fictional or nonfiction – feel real in a way that differs from Western films that discuss the same topics. Many Western films about revolutions are heavily male-dominated,and even those that star female leads write their “strength” according to how well they exhibit “masculine” traits. (Physical strength, stoics in the face of difficult times,etc.) If the conflict revolves around men doubting their abilities,they are considered “doing their part” in the revolution once they can blend into the “masculine” world set up as the idea by a male-led society. Gómez’s films critique this trope using real-life revolutions. While in some cases many women contribute to the revolution in fields that are considered “masculine”, this is not enough to exempt them from their “feminine” -ness and gain the full respect of men around them. People who cannot balance the “feminine” and “masculine” tasks (ex. Motherhood and factory work) are considered lazy or a hindrance to the revolution. This is true from both the perspective of men and women. In Mi Aporte (1972), a man gives the interviewer an anecdote about a woman who works at the factory he does. At the time of filming she was pregnant and – according to him – worked decently enough. At some point in the day however,she would sleep in a spot set up by her and several other women. The woman says very clearly that being pregnant makes her tired,yet the male worker still calls her lazy. Pregnancy is more than just a child growing in its mother’s womb. Every part of a woman emotionally and physically changes during pregnancy,down to the very shape of her eyes. This lack of understanding or grace given to her matches the same treatment women face in One Way or Another (1974). The female lead,Yolanda,is late to her date with Mario after a conflict arises at her job. Instead of understanding,he yells at her for making him wait one hour. It wasn’t the fact that made him worry that something had happened to her that upset him,it was the fact that a woman made him wait an hour that upset him. Yolanda dedicates herself to her job – educating students – which is necessary for them to succeed and have enough of an education to create social change. Yet she is still chastised when she cannot help her children as an educator and appease the man she is dating. To him, a supposed revolutionary, she is a woman first and a person second. By the end of the movie,much like in real life, neither men show any sign of change despite insisting that they are revolutionaries. It is both deeply uncomfortable but realistic.