Peña’s Virtuoso Performance Gives Cesar Chavez Life
It’s hard to believe there hasn’t been a movie made about the life of renowned 1960’s union organizer and human rights crusader Cesar Chavez. Granted, sad to say I’m one of the many who might know the name but still only know precious little about the man himself, his accomplishments as to how they related to the civil rights movement in the United States, especially as they pertained to California farm workers, not exactly ones I’ve ever had the opportunity to become acquainted with.
With that in mind, and realizing I’m probably one of a countless throng working from the same poor base of knowledge, maybe it isn’t so surprising that Diego Luna’s Cesar Chavez is the first film to document portions of this man’s rather remarkable life. Using the formation of the United Farm Workers and the subsequent Delano, California grape strike and boycott of the 1960s as its jumping off point, the film showcases many of the major reasons why Chavez is still held in such regard five decades later. It is an ambitious undertaking, and for newcomers to this particular bit of vital American history it’s also more than a little fascinating.
But sadly not essential. As strong as this movie is, and at times it is very strong indeed, so much time passes and so many events are covered it’s almost too much for the 101-minute film to be able to easily contain. The vignette atmosphere is omnipresent and it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of just how long it is taking things to happen. More, Luna, working from a script by Keir Pearson (Hotel Rwanda) and Timothy J. Sexton (Children of Men), wants to juxtapose Chavez’s work amongst the Delano farmers with his unintentional shirking of his familial duties, especially as it relates to his eldest son. But that relationship stays frustratingly ephemeral, the emotional complexities making up their dynamic never fully coming to life.
Yet it is readily apparent Luna has learned a thing or two in his time working for directors such as Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Julian Schnabel (Before Night Falls), Kevin Costner (Open Range) and Steven Spielberg (The Terminal). He knows how to maintain focus, keeps a confident eye on his protagonist and his journey, rarely letting it waver. He eschews many of the normal biopic contrivances putting the emotional emphasis in places that are oftentimes unexpected. His documentary-like approach is refreshing in its candor, allowing for a you-are-there aesthetic during many of the signature moments that’s masterful.
It also helps he’s cast exceedingly well. Veteran character actor Michael Peña is fantastic, refusing to deify Chavez or turn him into some sort of unassailable symbol no one anywhere could actually live up to (let alone be). He instead chooses to showcase him as nothing more than a good man with plusses and minuses same as everyone else. His flaws are just as important to his makeup as his attributes, and Peña is fearless as he deal with them and in the process paints a fuller picture of the man than I could have anticipated before entering the theater. As great as he’s been in films as diverse as End of Watch, The Lincoln Lawyer and Million Dollar Baby he’s marvelous in this, delivering arguably the first truly great performance of 2014 and sadly also one I can guarantee will not remembered by most come the end of the year.
The rest of the cast does what they can, especially America Ferrera portraying Cesar’s longsuffering yet equally committed to the cause wife Helen, but it’s safe to say none of them are given the same amount of room to breathe and evolve as the titular character. Luna juggles all of them as best he can, however, covering the Delano strike and boycott as intimately as he can considering the sprawling nature of the narrative and the relatively short running time.
The snapshot nature can get a little distracting, while the farm owners, two of which are portrayed by John Malkovich and Gabriel Mann, feel like mustache-twirling cartoon characters more than they do flesh and blood human beings. But the central dynamics remain strong throughout, and when you add Peña’s magnificent performance and Luna’s concentrated direction in the equation Cesar Chavez ends up being a far more invigorating and informative biography than it probably should have been.
– Review reprinted courtesy of the SGN in Seattle
Film Rating: 2½ (out of 4)
