La Bruja: A Witch from the Bronx 2005
Distributed by Third World Newsreel, 545 Eighth Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10018; 212-947-9277
Produced by Ajamu Productions
Directed by Felix Rodriguez
VHS, color, 50 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Art, Drama, Music, Popular Culture
Date Entered: 01/09/2007
Reviewed by Lisa Forrest, E. H. Butler Library, State University of New York College at Buffalo, Buffalo, NYThe life of a working artist is rarely without struggle— no matter how amazingly talented (or beautiful) one might be, there are always bills to pay and mouths to feed. Add to the list of struggling artist the roles of mother, wife, daughter…and the complications of living the artistic lifestyle become readily apparent. This documentary follows the journey of one such woman, Caridad de la Luz (popularly knows as “La Bruja”—The “Good” Witch), in her quest for stardom. Born and raised in the South Bronx by her Puerto Rican family, “La Bruja” made her debut as a performance artist at the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City in 1996. She quickly discovered that “keeping it real” often meant free performances and living hand to mouth.
This documentary provides an overview of her struggle to make it big in the entertainment industry, and the importance of her family’s support to her achievement. The viewer is given just a glimpse of her slow rise to “fame”-- from the stress of her crying children, to the anticipation of meeting with film executives and appearance on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam.”
While her perseverance to succeed as an artist is admirable, the film itself is a little lengthy and the content lost my interest. Following the film, I logged on to La Bruja’s MySpace account and saw that she has had continued success since the production of the film, including acting stints, a new record album and modeling for Levi’s Jeans (she has been blessed with both incredible talent and beauty).
While her story is indeed intriguing, it remains a common one among artists. It seems to me that there just might be more to tell (for example, I would have liked to see more of what she is doing as a social activist). As the video is selling for $225.00, I have a hard time recommending this film without some reservation. However, if you’re really interested in the life and work of this talented poet, musician, and actress-- you should definitely check out her story. (Her MySpace account is full of great stuff too!)