The Southwest Film Center is going out with a bang with their final feature of the semester, “Selena,” screened on Johnson Field on Saturday, April 29.
This movie hardly needs an introduction, but for the sake of those who have yet to experience this legendary biopic, here’s the rundown.
“Selena” tells the story of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, a legendary singer who redefined the genre of Latin music. In this biopic, she is portrayed by actress and musician Jennifer Lopez, and the film tells the story from her beginnings as a musically gifted child to her tragic murder at the hands of her spiteful manager.
The film was relatively successful at the box office, but was most notable for Lopez’ breakout performance, which launched her musical and acting career.
Through the film, Selena finds fame as she rises in the charts and popularity, but also finds herself at odds with her supportive but traditional father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. (Edward James Olmos), after marrying her band’s guitarist, Chris Pérez (Jon Seda). While the life of a popstar seems peachy-keen to the outsider’s eye, Selena’s life became progressively more hectic, as the president of her fan club and manager of her clothing boutique is accused of embezzling money from the store and fan club.
This movie has a place in the heart of every Latin music fan and has won its fair share of acclaim. While never reaching the Academy Awards, “Selena” was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Jennifer Lopez’s performance, and was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
Selena will be playing at the SUB Theater on Friday, April 28 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 30 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, Selena will be screened outdoors on Johnson Field at 8 p.m.
Fin Martinez is the culture editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @FinMartinez.
