Vida Gives Us Life: Diverse Storytelling In Hollywood Is Possible
Hollywood Has Problems.
And one of those problems is diversity. Executives LOVE to state that films and TV shows that prioritize people who aren’t just cis, white, and straight are risky, that profit can’t be made, or that you can’t find the talent to tell these stories. While there may be limited argument for profitability, the idea that the talent can’t be found is a steaming heap of bullshit.
Vida proves that.
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Vida is an American tale.
IMDB: Two sisters, who could not be more different or distanced from each other, are forced to move back to their childhood neighborhood, after the death of their mother, only to discover her past and the shocking truth about her identity.
What IMDB does not note is the fact that one of the core struggles, and the one that literally grounds the sisters, is a bar they’ve inherited.
Do they sell it to developers?
Do they maintain it for the local community?
Do they change it up to try and bring in a new crowd?
And how does everyone feel about any of that???
Vida is complicated and the answers aren’t clear, because life is fucking complicated and there aren’t always clear answers. We can only do our best for our families and communities.
There are many examples of media that cover similar themes. Vida does it while centering the Latino/a/e community in Boyle Heights, acknowledging and showcasing diverse sexual and gender identities, and acting as an educational tool for folks who are unaware of the real issues gentrification is causing in Boyle Heights today.
Can you show this show to your kids? No. Don’t show anything on Starz to your kids.
But for all the adults in the room, Vida is a show deserving of a binge. It tugs at your heartstrings, twists up your brain a little bit, and has plenty of moments that make you go “ohp”.
Basically, Vida has the power to turn you into a human Bop-It.
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2SLGBTQ+ Representation
Vida showcases multi-generational queerness. It shows queerness in several different shapes and forms. It pits old terminology against new terminology.
The show provided the representation we need wrapped up in a lesson of growth and acceptance. It’s rare that we get to see such a masterclass of queer representation in any type of media, but Vida did it and did it well.
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An Exercise In Serving Community
The bar is the physical symbol of community in Vida, capturing the ephemeral. Through the show, you watch the bar actively change as new souls settle in, as older community members start to mingle with a new crowd; see new stories being born from the smallest of intentions. This is what conservation does. Saving community landmarks is never just about the building. It’s about how the community benefits from spaces that allow for the continuation and evolution of tradition. It’s not about staying static; it’s about having a safe space to flourish. It’s not about the bar. It’s about the energy that the bar makes possible.
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We All Want To Be Seen
There’s billions of people in this wide world of ours, and trillions upon trillions of stories. While all of our stories are unique, there will always be common themes.
What makes any story unique is the who. We can commiserate with stories told by people that identify differently from ourselves, but they hit a little different when the story is being told from people in our own communities. They take on a different flavor due to the circumstances and cultures the story is wrapped inside.
White, cis, and/or straight people get to see universal themes featured in stories told by them and for them all the time. They get to see their heritages, their histories played out ad nauseum, and the rest of us usually just have to take what we can get.
There is power in storytelling. There is power in telling your story, and having it be received by others. Everyone deserves to see versions of their stories.
In fact - considering how many of our stories still need to be told, diverse stories should really get first priority for the next few decades ;)
¡Mas Vida, por favor!