Danzón

Julia is a middle aged phone operator in Mexico City who divides her time between her job, her daughter and the "Danzon": an elegant, romantic Cuban dance popular in Caribbean Latin America.

Julia wants to taste one great romance in her life before she feels she will have lost what's left of her beauty. Like a ritual, each Wednesday Julia dances the Danzon with the dashing, mysterious and still handsome Carmelo in the old "Salon Colonia". They've danced for years but barely know each other.

One night Carmelo disappears without a trace. Suddenly bereft, Julia abandons well-regulated obligations and responsibilities and sets off on a long distance odyssey, searching for her missing cavalier. These comic, touching and ultimately triumphant adventures lead Julia to a deeper comprehension of the meaning of life and true happiness.

I just saw Danzon at Washington, D.C.'s National Gallery, which was selected as part of the theme for Milestones in Mexican Cinema. It was a wonderful, simple story about a woman who's love of dance forces her to realize her independence.

Danzon director María Rojo stars as Julia Solórzano, a timid working class woman (just to show you the cultural and economic differences between the states and Mexico, it was 1989 when this movie was released, and they were talking about the "modernization plan" and the development of 'long distance telephone'). At night, she and the girls from work go to the popular Mexican night spots and spend the night dancing the Danzón.

When her Danzón partner mysteriously disappears without word (although there are several rumors), she feels completely helpless. Dancing is what she loves to do, and with Carmelo (her dance partner) gone, she falls into a state of disrepair.

Julia takes a trip to Veracruz, where Carmelo was from (this being where the majority of the film takes place), and looks for him. There, she meets several interesting people, and her friendship forces her to rethink things about herself, namely her independence.

Danzón is a wonderful, funny, and simple story, qualities that I had appreciated more after having seen the pretentious Adaptation. There is something about Julia and the townspeople that are so interesting, and so engaging, even though the point is so simplistic. Among the best characters in the film were Carmen Salinas as Doña Tí and Tito Vasconcelos as Susy (Julia's cross dressing friend who is perhaps the funniest character in the whole movie). I recommend seeing it.

"Danzon" is a "chick flick", no doubt. Directed by a woman, its main star is a woman--and it is concerned mainly with woman's issues. The setting is contemporary Mexico City. The danzon--a slow, graceful dance of l9th century Cuban origin--is the force that brings the heroine Julia together and her long time competition dance partner Carmen. When Carmen vaporizes, Julia heads for the coast--Veracruz--to search for him. Once there, she meets a series of unique characters, which add up to a wonderful viewing experience. I feel that Julia also meets herself there--discovering her real value as a woman and human being. When she returns to her job in Mexico City, she's a changed woman for numerous reasons--all good. A strong subtle movie.

What would a film for women look like? Well, one possibility is Maria Novaro's wonderful reversal of all of the expectations of male-oriented films. Playing with a number of genres and turning them on their heads, Novaro gives us the story of Julia, an ordinary late thirty-something woman, who, used to playing a traditionally passive, "feminine" role, takes on the active role of searching for her missing danzon partner in a journey that takes her from gloomy Mexico City to sun-drenched Veracruz. In the process she changes from object of the male gaze to bearer of the gaze. The film boasts a super performance from Maria Rojo as Julia and fine supporting performances by Carmen Salinas, Tito Vasconcelos, and Victor Carpenteiro. It is saturated with fantastic Mexican music, especially songs written by Veracruz' native son, Agustin Lara. And then there is the dancing. The danzon, where a single glance may give the game away, becomes a perfect metaphor for Julia's journey of self-discovery.

Maria Novaro has made a mini-specialty of what might be called the "women's road movie." (She has described her later "Without a Trace" as "Thelma and Louise" with a happy ending.) Danzon gives us Julia, a 40-ish telephone operator and single mother of a sulky teenager, who leaves her Mexico City routine when her dance partner--about whom she knows little more than his name--seems to disappear. The movie opens up into lush panoramas when Julia reaches Veracruz, a metaphor for her own blossoming self-discovery. The soundtrack alone--old-fashioned "danzons" (Mexican dance music imported from Cuba)--is worth the rental price.