I didn’t really know anything about Cesar Chavez before seeing this film. I knew he was a civil rights activist sometime before my time, but not much more than that unfortunately. I’m glad I saw this movie, it taught me a lot, and as biographical films go, it’s pretty good. Sometimes these movies can be very paint-by-the-numbers, but the good ones make you connect with the people living these lives. Like Mandela that I saw last year, I really felt for the main character and his predicament, and the fight he was trying to lead.
Cesar Chavez is portrayed by Michael Peña, a very fine actor in a lot of movies and tv shows, but a person you don’t see often in leading roles. His work as Cesar is fantastic. As a leader, he knows his people are angry at the low wages ($1- $2 a day) and poor working conditions (no bathrooms on site, no available drinking water despite a full day working under the sun). Yet he preaches peaceful protest and chastises when people lash out against the farm owners. While he was focused mostly on the plight of the farm workers, it still resonates today, especially with the continuing hot button issue of immigrant and children-of-immigrant workers.
Jons Movie Takes 