FRONTERA: A SCREENPLAY by Saul Unzueta A SENIOR THESIS in GENERAL STUDIES Submitted to the General Studies Council in the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of BACHELOR OF GENERAL STUDIES Approved DR. ROBERTO BRAVO ent of Classipakand Modern Languages and Literatures CoMl]hair of Thesis Committee DR. JIMMIE L. REEVES pertmen)/of Journalism and Mass Communications Co-Chair of Thesis Committee Accepted DR. DALE DAVIS Director of General Studies August 1997 '^^ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A]^ , ^\ Thank-you's to Dr. Roberto Bravo, a wise and passionate man - - puro mejicano, i and to Dr. Jimmie L. Reeves who let me kill two birds with one stone and who set aside some of his writer's sensitivity and idealism in sitting through this Mexploitation yarn. I'd also like to thank Dr. Dale Davis and Linda Gregston for all their guidance. Finally, I thank my mother, Micaela Romero Unzueta, who never had the benefit of even finishing an elementary education and who never really knows or understands what I do, but whose support, nevertheless, is literally neverending. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii INTRODUCTION iv OUTLINE vii THE SCREENPLAY 1 111 INTRODUCTION This General Studies thesis is a creative project - - a screenplay. It is a story of narcotraficantes [drug traffickers]. I used the most common of elements, not really for that reason, but because they belong. The genre is known as "Mexploitation" and it's mainly a man's movie. The Mexican male wants action, to be a bad-ass - - a real macho - - but also values the opportunity to show emotional depth, especially when it helps his chances with the ladies. This is not to say that he's always insincere, however, especially when considering the fact that Latin men tieed women, perhaps like no one else, and this need is of the most sincere nature. The other major occasion for emotional depth occurs frequently when it concerns familial bonds. These run very deep, and make for interesting motivation factors. Any movie dealing with Mexico practically has to deal with family, passion, violence, injustice, sex-roles, and change. I think Frontera addresses most or all of these issues. Mexico is very much a man's society, on the surface, and this screenplay is a "superficial, non-feminine movie." It can be likened to the American gangster movies of yesteryear, but with less depth. The Mexploitation genre is really a commercial venture. It's a long music video. Whenever recent Mexican filmmakers have wanted to make significant social statements, they'd script the life of a bum or an immigrant laborer. The gangster has usually served as escapism. I think the ideal situation is to combine these two - - that is, to use exploitation elements and really say something. It doesn't matter how educated or retarded a man is - if he's straight, he's going to respond to a naked lady in his face. A movie, first and IV foremost has to be entertaining. It doesn't matter if it contains the Meaning of Life if its boring, just as it doesn't matter to a lot of people that a movie says nothing if it's entertaining. Most people probably don't really see the "deep message" in a movie because it just goes over their heads, and most would never really see a movie that's known for its depth. Some of the most beautiful of films will never reach the layperson and, to me, this is the most important individual. It is this group upon which the beauty and social relevance of film should find its biggest impact. This is a mass medium and there is no need to be elitist, especially if there is something important to say. That's the whole point of movies, of art, in my humble opinion - - to bond humanity. It should tell the truth and it may polarize people, but sometimes it is necessary to take a step backwards before one can go forwards. The real beauty of film is its ability to convey a message while entertaining. It reaches a mass audience in a short time and they don't even have to be literate. At the same time, however, even the most highbrow person can be reached as well. I should also mention that the ambitious use of the exploitation genre might not always work, because the base or common elements have to fit - have to be relevant. To be successful, there needs to be a talent and ability to achieve this delicate marriage. I set out to cut my teeth with this genre partly because it takes the least skill to be effective. When I started, I knew nothing about screenwriting, but 1 am a self-admitted fan of Mexploitation, and that's really all I needed at this stage in the game. The most important drive for a filmmaker should be to say something, and that is something that 1 would like the chance to get to do in this medium someday, but a feeling of comfort in it must first be achieved before any serious attempt can be made at serious expression. Entertainment is easier, but it is still something that takes practice. And I believe that is the key: practice. This is the real education in this medium - to do. A foundation would hopefully be laid in the form of history and theory as well, but these are not the main things. People either have something to say or they don't, a talent for entertainment or the lack thereof Mexploitation is usually not the most favorable to women, and neither is Frontera, but then again, neither is society, especially in Mexico. This is the tmth, but the reason I made this the case in my writing had more to do with what the script demanded and more than anything, perhaps, with my inability or unwillingness to dig deeper. I am a beginner and simply am not ready. Mexico, to me, is an incredibly interesting place and there are many stories that need to be told about its people. It's what I know, yet have much to learn about. The changes and events that are taking place are momentous, and in terms of film - there is so much that can be done. Frontera is an amateur attempt to entertain and maybe show that the more things change - the more they stay the same, sometimes, and that progress occurs when it is the good things in life that change the least. VI OUTLINE I. Setting A. El Paso, Texas B. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (sister city) C. Durango, Durango Mexico II. Characters A. Mario Reynoso 1. Older man who doesn't want to retire as head of his drug family 2. Doesn't want to see his only remaining son enter "the business" 3. Widowed B. Fernando Reynoso 1. Mario's younger brother 2. A playboy, at mid life 3. Runs the day-to-day affairs of the operation 4. Divorced C. Alex Reynoso 1. Mario's son 2. Very well-educated 3. Wants to enter the family business 4. Single D. Linda De Soto 1. Alex's love interest E. Carlos Adrian Fuentes 1. Rival drug lord F. Anita 1. "Return to all that was once good" III. Plot A. Fernando and Mario have a falling out B. Mario is murdered C. Fernando and Alex seek revenge D. Alex experiences a revelation IV. Themes A. Contrasts 1. Young and old 2. Past and present 3. Rich and poor 4. Good and evil B. Culture and tradition 1. Rejection 2. Adaptation vii 3. Survival C. Rascuachismo 1. A low-brow aesthetic that characterizes much of Mexican life (example: oil paintings of Jesus on black velvet) V. Format Ideally in Spanish, but screenplay written in English A. Action-Drama Vlll FADE IN: EXT. [EXTERIOR SCENE] US - MEXICO INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE - DAY ALEX REYNOSO sits in his red Acura, pop music and ac going full blast. The mega- dark-tinted windows are rolled up tight. The car doesn't move. The man is in his late twenties and is wearing shades. It's late summer, 98 degrees, and not a cloud in sight. His car begins to move forward about three feet on Juarez's main strip, which seems to be vaporizing under the unrelenting desert sun. TOURISTS in shorts stroll among PANHANDLERS and BEGGING CHILDREN. A TATTERED KID with a SQEEGEE and a rag almost as dirty as the Laker's shirt on his back ignores Alex and goes to work on the spotless windshield. Alex is trapped for a couple of seconds, but then the car in front of him advances and he taps the accelerator as he waves "no" with his finger. Alex then proceeds to undo the damage with a mechanical squirt of windshield wiper fluid and accompanying wiper motion. He soon passes yet another minor annoyance: a LEGLESS MAN in a wheelchair who simply sits and stares. Alex doesn't see him. EXT. US CHECKPOINT - DAY Up ahead, a CHICANA BORDER PATROL OFFICER looks through her Ray Ban's and down her nose at a humble-looking MEXICAN FAMILY in a battered car. After checking all their credentials, she orders the OLD MAN driving to open the tmnk. He does so and she snoops around. EXT. US - MEXICO INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE - DAY Back on the strip, a shiny car, in mega-darkly-tinted windows, advances in the lane to Alex's right. It's a BMW two-door. The extremely bright sunlight coming in through the sunroof illuminates LONG and WAVY, DARK-AUBURN hair.