Paraíso ¿Cuánto pesa el amor?: Challenging the Neoliberal in Mexican Cinema

Abstract

Thornton argues that neoliberalism can determine both the reading of a film and the roles key workers play in the production and the consumption of film. She examines the careers and contributions of the director, principle actor, source text author and the music supervisor to the making of the Mexican film, Paraíso ¿Cuánto pesa el amor? (Mariana Chenillo, 2013). The fat body of the protagonist and her attempts to control and, eventually, accept it is a central motivating force in the narrative. Therefore, Thornton considers the ways the film critiques how women’s bodies are subjected to scrutiny and regulation under neoliberalism. The film provides both a fascinating case study at textual level because of its narrative concerns and at a contextual level as an opportunity to explore women’s creative contributions. Consequently, Thornton analyzes how neoliberalism is an inescapable determinant in understanding Paraíso ¿Cuánto pesa el amor? as a nodal point for the intersection of multiple interests.