In Paul Morrissey’s film Mixed
Blood there is a scene set inside a store called Menuditis. Apparently, it’s a store devoted entirely
to merchandise for the boy group Menudo.
Now, when that name is mentioned, I would imagine most peoples’ reaction
is either to squeal with spiteful glee or to roll their eyes in
consternation. In all fairness, Menudo’s
brand of bland, sanitized pop is neither any more nor any less offensive than
that of any other purveyors of same, then or now. Hell, for a while there I was a Michael
Jackson fan (I was glued to the Thriller
short/music video whenever it would come on).
What strikes me as funny is that there is a store dealing only in Menudo
goods. I have seen stores revolving
around a specific line of items like Buildabear
or Old Navy, but I cannot recall one
other shop catering solely to one personality/property/band quite like this. I have never seen a Christopher Walken boutique or a Black Sabbath outlet (to be sure,
I wouldn’t be overly surprised to discover they exist either). While these things are just as identifiable
to the public (I would argue they are even more so), this level of property branding
of Menudo stands out because of how uncommon it is. Maybe in their native Puerto Rico this is
something you see all over the place. Having
never visited there, I honestly couldn’t say.
But in America it’s odd (or at least it’s odd to me; I don’t know, maybe
I’m the odd one). Yet, it does make for
an interesting location for a scene; you’ll get no argument from me on that.
On the mean streets of New York’s
Alphabet City (a section on Manhattan’s Lower East Side), a gang of Brazilians
called Los Maceteros lead by godmother Rita La Punta (Marilia Pera) squares off against the bloodthirsty Master Dancers,
a Puerto Rican (I think they’re Puerto Rican; I don’t remember them actually
mentioning anything in the film) gang lead by Juan the Bullet (Angel David), for control of the
territory and its lucrative drug trade. Watching
this all play out are Hank (Ulrich Berr),
often referred to as the German, and his fellow drug lords. The German’s friend Carol (Linda Kerridge) takes an interest in
Rita’s son Thiago (Richard Ulacia), and
things get complicated.
When most folks hear the name Paul Morrissey, I would bet dollars to
donuts the first films they think of are the ones to which Andy Warhol’s name was attached (Flesh For Frankenstein, Blood
For Dracula, Trash, et
cetera). I cannot earnestly say that I
like or dislike this one any more than those, but Mixed Blood is most assuredly a mixed bag. The story is fairly standard in its basics,
but it has enough sleazy, oddball moments and gory, violent outbursts to
maintain interest and keep a sufficiently smooth sense of pacing. The acting is amateurish almost across the
board, but I would suggest this is actually one of its assets. There is a feeling of authenticity that comes
from the ham-handed way these people deliver lines, acting with their heads
only. But it’s not their thespian skills
that deliver the verisimilitude; it’s their appearances. You completely believe that Ulacia or Rodney Harvey grew up around the Alphabet (or if not there,
somewhere equally as destitute during this era of New York’s history). While we’re on the subject, I would highly
recommend watching this film with subtitles handy. There are a slew of accents going on at any
given moment, and even at their clearest, it still took me a moment or two to
decipher almost every line of dialogue spoken in the movie (and there are some
I just gave up on completely). None of
this is aided by the fact that non-actors like the aforementioned Ulacia deliver their lines in either
mumbles or screams. But again, I feel
this adds to the film’s flavor in a bizarre way; so for me, it’s part of the
charm.
The New York City of the
Seventies and Eighties is an amazing thing to me. If you didn’t know any better, you would
honestly think that sections had been leveled during the Blitz. Yet people lived there, and even though I
don’t think I, personally, would have liked to, there are those who actually
liked living there. Then again, there
are also people who had no choice, but they bore up under this yoke of
desolation and persevered in spite of it.
Rita understands this. She keeps
her gang with her, all living in one apartment, sleeping together like they are
in an army barracks. She maintains rules
for them; primary among them is no one under her can use drugs. She makes sure they bathe on a semi-regular
basis. By that same token, she has no
compunction about selling drugs to the junkies in the community. She doesn’t blink at the thought of
prostitution as a means of making money (and the selling of infants is even
discussed at one point, though not by Rita).
She does what needs doing to survive and protect her family, but she is
especially protective (in fact, over-protective) of Thiago. She doesn’t allow him to leave Alphabet City. He obeys every word she says. He and Rita even sleep in the same bed. The idea is floated that Thiago may be somewhat
dimwitted, and I have to say that Ulacia’s
performance does little to dispel this notion.
Either way, his relationship with his mother is unhealthy. What is interesting is that Rita can’t fully
protect Thiago in or out of the Alphabet, and Carol, instead of being a freeing
force for Thiago, turns out to be just as poisonous. The two women in Thiago’s life vie for his
affections regardless of what Thiago thinks (not that we’re given any
indication that he does much of that at all), so naturally none of this can
turn out well, right?
The title Mixed Blood refers principally to the
idea of Carol insinuating herself into Thiago’s life, tainting Thiago’s
Brazilian blood (and by extension Los Maceteros) with her Caucasian blood. But it also refers to the idea of America as a
melting pot. Everyone in the film
dislikes people from outside their own race.
Epithets are thrown around freely (and I can only think of a few I
didn’t hear in the movie), and no one ever bats an eye when they are (even
characters belonging to the disparaged ethnicity). The melting pot here is actually a cesspool,
divided by race rather than merging them together. And everyone will do whatever it takes to be
king (or queen) of the literal heap. For
all of its faults, though, Morrissey
and company do a commendable job compelling you to watch this struggle to the top. But was it all worth it?
MVT:
I love the setting of the film.
I’m one of those people who simply can’t get enough of
pre-gentrification New York City on film.
The mere sight can conjure textures of glass and rusting metal grating under
your feet and grimy air filling your lungs.
Maybe it’s just me. But I doubt
it.
Make Or Break: The Make is the scene where cigarette butts
are repeatedly put out on a character’s torso.
If this scene was done via special effects, it is impressive. If it wasn’t, it is creepy. Either way, it made me cringe.
Score:
6.5/10
