Abstract
From Prada to Nada (2011) is a movie by Oddlot Entertainment, Gilbert Films, Lionsgate, and Televisa Hyperion Films. This is a twentieth century of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility novel. This movie tells about two rich siblings who live in Beverly Hills, Nora and Mary. Their live changed when their father died because of the bankruptcy. They need to move from their Beverly Hills mansion to their aunt’s house in East Los Angeles. Along with this condition they find their lovers.
Those are the movie ‘about’, the low level of interpretation of the meaning-making. Meanwhile, every movie always has a ‘message’ in a certain elements. It’s called the deeper level of interpretation. Dealing with the hermeneutics analysis, we can find that this movie consist of signs or symbols which are able to be identified. From Prada to Nada is not merely a drama movie, but a reflection of ethnicity – this movie; for instance, raise the Mexican-American – in America dealing with the capitalism system.
Keywords: Capitalism, Ethnicity, Hermeneutics analysis
Well, From Prada to Nada is a movie that reflects the twentieth century or nowadays ethnicity condition in America, especially the Mexican-American. The main characters, Nora and Mary are daughters of Mexican. But they live as Americans and both of them don’t even know what their culture heritage, for instance they can’t speak Spanish. It happens when they move to their aunt’s house in East Los Angeles. They can’t understand what others speak because they never speak Spanish. They both think that they are Americans, that’s why they never learn their ancestor’s language. Besides, they feel as strangers among their Mexican family. Another term used here is capitalism. Why? Because in this movie we can find some conditions reflected as they are the victims of capitalism, dealing with their Mexican-blood, and making them deny their status as Mexican. Therefore, for discussing it, we can’t just ‘watch’ it, but we need to analyze it using hermeneutics.
Dealing with hermeneutics, first, we need to understand what this movie ‘about’, means the plot story, as we call it the low level of interpretation or the ‘meaning-making’[1]. Then after that we are going to take a risk to ‘translate’ the ‘message’ in this movie, or the deeper level of interpretation[2]. Then it will be easier for us conquer the ‘message’ and understand the signs shown in this movie: capitalism and ethnicity.
First, I will elaborate the plot of this movie. What this movie ‘about’. As I explained before that this movie is a story of Nora (Camilla Belle), a Law student and Mary (Alexa Vega), an English Literature student whose father is Mexican. Then he dies. And after that they move from their Beverly Hills mansion to their aunt’s house in East Los Angeles or East L.A. In between those incidents, they find out that they have an older brother, Gabe Jr. (Pablo Cruz), as the result of their father’s affair before marrying their mother. He comes to their father funeral, brings his wife, Olivia (April Bowlby) and causes chaos in Nora and Mary’s house. Actually, their father is in bankruptcy, and he has nothing left, except the huge amount of debt. Then, their brother – with Olivia of course – buy their house. At that time, Nora meets Edward (Nicholas D'Agosto), Olivia’s brother who is an attorney. Because Nora and Mary don’t fit well with Olivia, they choose to leave their house, and go to East Los Angeles, where their aunt (Adriana Barraza) lives along with the Mexicans, and her neighbor, Bruno (Wilmer Valderrama). Nora chooses to out from her study, and finds a job. On the other hand, Mary will continue her study. Nora gets a job in Edward’s Law firm. Meanwhile, Mary finds an interesting guy, her own lecturer assistant, Rodrigo (Kuno Becker), and dates him. Nora does a great job by winning a law case of Mexican labor. On the other side, Mary is busy dating the handsome lecturer and lying about their economic condition. Later on, Nora falls in love with Edward, but she tries to deny it because she has an obsession to be a success lawyer and doesn’t want love disturbing her plans, thus she rejects Edward’s proposal; and Mary finds out that Rodrigo is lying to her too, that he actually has a wife. The climax is when Nora gets the invitation of Edward’s engagement where at that time Mary finds the real Rodrigo. She gets in a car accident. In the end, Mary dates Bruno. While Edward backs to Nora, and marries her.
Those are the plot of this movie that what we try to reveal the movie ‘about’. The next is the deeper level, about the ‘message’. We are going to analyze the signs and symbols of this movie. For instance, like the Beverly Hills, East Los Angeles, and even probably the back sound. At the first scene of this movie, we find the back sound is California Girls by Katy Perry, telling us the main characters’ status, along with the portrayal of the setting of place, Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills is not merely a name of place. But it can describe the social status of the owner of the mansions there, like Nora and Mary. Beverly Hills here also can be meant as capitalism itself. And East Los Angeles can be described as the sample of ethnicity – Mexican – condition.
Capitalism according to Neoclassical and Keynesian economists take as their object a system that is variously referred to as the “market economy” (in which individuals and private firms make decisions about consumption and production in decentralized markets), a “mixed economy” (in which market place activities are mixed with government “commands”), or just “the economy” (defined by scarce means and unlimited desires, the correct balancing of which is said to characterize all societies)[3]. So, actually capitalism is the economy. And there should be someone behind it takes the advantages. They are the capitalist. Then, of course, there should be the victims of this capitalism, like the owner of Beverly Hills, or people who buy Prada, and walk their Chihuahuas, etc. They represent the victim of capitalism, like we see in the very first scene of this movie. Capitalist creates such a society class: “nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, and establish connections everywhere” and giving “a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country”[4]. It always changes the economy and society, and also capable creates a new form of society, satisfy the desire of people who are able to own it. The relation between this capitalism and this movie is that Nora and Mary live for years with the capitalism, living in Beverly Hills, buying Prada, etc. They are part of this ‘new form society’ who always capable enough to fulfill their desire and satisfy what they want. They have been acted like Americans, especially California girls. And they don’t even care with their real ancestor. They have lost their culture heritage, can’t speak Spanish, don’t know the Mexican tradition, etc. Even in one of the scenes Mary says that she is an American, not a Mexican. And she cares enough to not ride a terrible car, and need branded clothes, bags, etc. She needs to be viewed as part of her society, the capitalist.
The next point is the East Los Angeles. It shows us the sample of ethnicity, the Mexican. Ethnicity is naming process by which individuals or groups came to be understood or to understand themselves, as separate or different from others. This meaning of ethnicity commonly referred to the consciousness of exclusion or subordination, though it also indexed social practices – language, region, rituals, and other patterns of behavior – that define the content of group’s culture[5]. East Los Angeles has a very high concentration of Hispanic residents, primarily the Mexican descent[6]. It was ever civilized by Jewish, Japanese, and then now Mexican, just like what Nora said in the movie and Mary answered “It’s totally Calcutta.” The region was primarily Mexican American by 1950. In this movie, we can find how the condition of this East Los Angeles is. Many of Mexican speak Spanish, live together, and don’t care with the capitalism. They sew their own cloth. Like in the scene when Mary wants a dress and her aunt immediately will make it. It will be no different with the branded one. They like party, drink tequila, chitchat with family and friends.
Conclusion
To understand the ‘message’ behind the movie we just not merely watch the movie, but also identify the signs, the symbols. Movie is not only media to entertain, but also the way to describe such condition and reflects it. We need to analyze using hermeneutics for finding out the ‘meaning’ and ‘message’ behind the movie ‘about’. First we need to understand the movie ‘about’. The next step, we have to take risk to reveal the ‘message’ behind it, try to find significant signs, and elaborate it. This is the deeper level of interpretation. It all depends on the spectator’s references and experiences. The interpretation will be different among each other according to their references and experiences[7]. From Prada to Nada according to me is the way the authorship delivers the reflection of Mexican-American in America dealing with the capitalism that for years is friend with them.
FILMOGRAPHY
From Prada to Nada (Angel Gracia, 2011)
BOOKS
Amy, Villarejo. Film Studies The Basics. Routledge, 2007.
Keywords For American Cultural Studies.
ELECTRONIC SOURCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Los_Angeles_%28region%29#Ethnicity
[1] Amy, Villarejo. Film Studies The Basics. Routledge, 2007. p.125
[2] Amy, Villarejo. Film Studies The Basics. Routledge, 2007. P.125
[3] Ruccio, David F. Capitalism. Keywords For American Cultural Studies. p.42
[4] Ruccio, David F. Capitalism. Keywords For American Cultural Studies. p.42
[5] Yu, Henry. Ethnicity. Keywords For American Cultural Studies. p.112
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Los_Angeles_%28region%29#Ethnicity
[7] Amy, Villarejo. Film Studies The Basics. Routledge, 2007. P.117
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