Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-review by Professor Popinjay

(1997)

The first thing I learned while watching the movie “Selena” is that it’s impossible to dislike Selena. Not liking Selena is like not liking adorable puppies or a box of kittens.

Obviously, I’m not going to get into this film and be like “This movie STINKS!” It’s just so very sad though. This is a tragedy on par with the saddest of any of Shakespeare’s tragedies but closer to home. It’s not about some far off Danish prince or Scottish King. This is part Romeo and Juliet and part Julius Caesar (possibly with some Of Mice and Men mixed in) but it feels like it was someone you knew in the lead role.

I didn’t know who Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was when I heard of her death. I was cognizant enough at age 13 to conclude erroneously, when the news mentioned her murderer was the president of her fan-club, that it must have been some guy who was obsessed with her. I confess I never looked into it and really didn’t know the truth of the matter until I saw this film.

That in itself is why I agree with the father of the family, Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr., that this film needed to be made and fast. Many rumors were being circulated about this tragic event and they needed to be dispelled by a credible source.

While it’s a difficult film to watch if you know what happened, Selena is depicted as leading a wonderful and generous life, free from the many trappings of fame and fortune. This is not a biography film about your typical rock and roller whom we find strung out in a hotel room with someone telling them “you’ve changed, man”, and “it used to be about the music!” Selena starts and ends the film dreaming about having a little farm with some cute animals.

It was a simple dream from a wholesome person.

Perhaps a story of a wholesome person doesn’t translate into an action-packed edge-of-your-seat epic cinematic event. That’s okay.

Critics were generally approving of the film, at the very least appreciating the lack of pretense. Those critics who might have been harsh, clearly didn’t get what the film was trying to do nor (I suppose) who Selena even really was.

While most of the film is a great way to remember her, it does touch on the tragic aspect in a brief and tasteful way, as tasteful as such a subject can be presented at any rate. I was thinking it would have been nice to end the film without that, but I think it’s important. It’s just not entertaining. I know I wouldn’t be able to watch it if it were one of my own children.

The Quintanilla family had the whole cast over for dinner every night during filming which endears me to this whole family. It’s obvious how they could produce such beloved offspring who could melt the hearts of so many people from so many backgrounds. The racial barriers Selena’s father experienced in his youth were depicted as virtually non-existent for Selena.

Selena’s passion wasn’t just about the music, it was about the people. This was made evident in her charity work and advocacy to fight against drug use. She was an official spokesperson for D.A.R.E., visited schools to encourage youth to stay in school and invest in their future, spoke in support of domestic violence prevention hotlines, and raised awareness for care and education of HIV/AIDS. Even after her death, The Selena Foundation continues to sponsor the purchase of school supplies and educational scholarships for low-income families, and partners with St. Jude Hospitals and other healthcare and emergency relief institutions.

In Corpus Christi, Texas, stands Mirador de la Flor, a monument honoring Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. It is visited by almost 30,000 people annually.

Yolanda Saldivar, the stupid ẞ!+€# who shot her, got life in prison and is visited only by other inmates seeking to shank her in revenge for Selena, or they would were she not in constant solitary confinement.

Even hardened criminals love Selena.

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Yolanda hates adorable puppies and boxes of kittens.

Poster art: