Review of Walkout (2006) by Nesma G — 22 Jun 2008

[font=Century Gothic]Based on a true story, "Walkout" takes place in East Los Angeles in 1968 where Paula(Alexa Vega) is an A student set to graduate in a few months from Lincoln High School where she is one of the few expected to go to college. Still, she is unsure of her future plans which is complicated by her father(Yancey Arias) not granting permission to attend the Chicano Leadership Conference in Malibu, which is advised by her history teacher, Sal Castro(Michael Pena). But her mother(Laura Harring) signs the permission slip anyway. It is there that she meets recruiters from local colleges, activists and students from other predominantly Chicano high schools in the city.[/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]One of the reasons why "Walkout" excels so well, is that it is not just Paula's story; it is the story of an entire community of high school students coming of age in a single moment. The movie takes its time to build to it, starting with small signs of de facto segregation and institutionalized racism which not only include the locked bathrooms and corporal punishment for speaking Spanish but also the students' ignorance of their heritage. In reacting against this, director Edward James Olmos starts his film about a forgotten piece of history by having Mr. Castro talk about Chicano history which the students are unaware of.(Is it any surprise that Ronald Reagan was governor of Califonia when this movie is set? It sure would explain the red baiting and the media manipulation...) Not only is education important for this reason, but also for the chance to attend college, so these students can have a better life than their parents while also avoiding dying in the senseless war of Vietnam.[/font].