Tropico to the Top

Most of the Peliculas de Espanol I watch are gratis from the Sacramento Public Library: an extensive collection from many countries including Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Spain. After watching a preview for Tropico de Sangre I was intrigued in both the story line and the film acting of Dominican-Puerto Rican Michelle Rodriguez, who played Ana Lucia Cortez on the television show LOST (I watched the entire series - 121 episodes - on DVD).

Tropico de Sangre is based on the true story of Minerva Mirabal and her sisters Patria, Maté and Dedé, siblings in an upper-class, well-cultured family in Salcedo, Dominicana Republica. The country was in turmoil for years under the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, who ruled the with an iron fist until his assassination in 1961.

The film, set in the 1950’s, presents the story of how Minerva, Patria and Maté dared to stand up against the dictator, with historical nods to the era including Trujillo’s gang “The 42” and SIM, the secret police led by tormentor Johnny Abbes. Minerva Mirabal is played by Michelle Rodriguez, with support from Luchy Estevez as Patria and Sharlene Taulé as Maté; Dedé Maribal plays herself in the present-day scenes.

Although the plot is slow to start, once it is in full swing with rebellion and dictatorship, Tropico de Sangre holds you firmly in its path of visuals: the stylish clothes of upper class Dominicans, a creepy portrayal of Trujillo (played by Juan Fernandéz, with ashy-grey skin at times) and sadly, the violent prison beatings, all relevant to the events that occurred. The film ends with several paragraphs including notes that Mirabal’s sister Dede maintains a museum today in memory of her sisters.

With my interest piqued from Tropico de Sangre, and the bravery of the Minerva sisters who risked their lives during Trujillo’s reign, the lush and historic Dominican Republic has definitely moved closer to the top of my Places to Visit list.