‘Blue Beetle’ scribe leaves students buzzing over Latinx cinema

From the pages of comic books to the silver screen, “Blue Beetle” made its way to theaters in August of last year. It deeply resonated with audiences through its family-focused narrative that parallels writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer’s own story.

On Thursday, May 30, students filled the auditorium in room 101 of the Center for the Arts building. Aspiring filmmakers and writers alike were eager to expand their knowledge of filmmaking and the intricacies of screenwriting from Dunnet-Alcocer’s experience.

“So what I really appreciated and what I take away is that he was so raw and authentic with everything he said,” communications major Benjamin Duran said. “It shows us students who are so kind of far away from his world, that real people are behind these things. It’s not just business, it’s not just cardboard cutout people.”

Dunnet-Alcocer spoke for roughly two and a half hours, detailing his own filmmaking journey as a Latinx screenwriter as transparently as possible. He expressed how much thought went into writing Jaime Reyes, the titular “Blue Beetle,” from the perspective of a Mexican-American teenager.

“Spider-Man’s a white kid from Queens and he gets bit by a radioactive spider and the first thing he thinks of is like, ‘Oh my god this is so much fun!’ Not if you’re a Mexican-American kid!” Dunnet-Alcocer said when prompted by the presentation moderator. “[He’s] going to be like, ‘Fuck! These are so many problems!’”

He spoke in depth about how much of his own personal life influenced writing the family at the center of “Blue Beetle,” specifically how much Rudy, Jaime’s eccentric and conspiratorial uncle played by George Lopez, was based on Dunnet-Alcocer’s real-life uncle who passed away during filming.

Dunnet-Alcocer went on to discuss how little Latinx representation there’s been in the more recent films of high-profile Mexican filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro G. Iñarritu.

In an interview after the presentation, PCC cinema professor Lindsey Jang echoed Dunnet-Alcocer’s sentiments.

“It’s always a question of what’s your obligation to your family, your group, your community, your identity or not? And I think that’s what makes being a minority in America interesting,” Jang said.

PCC Cinematheque Club regularly showcases films and was responsible for hosting this event. Their board members commented on their takeaways from the presentation.

“I can just come away from it like wanting to make a movie again, like feeling really inspired to make a movie,” said Cinematheque treasurer Julian Acosta. “I loved everything he had to say in his passion for it.”

Dunnet-Alcocer welcomed all types of questions from the audience and promoted embracing any type of inspiration when it came to filmmaking.

“I love the promotion because I always get like, hit or miss, well not everybody, to each their own, but there’s always people who [say you] should just don’t watch anything when you’re making something, always be insular and focus on your own thing,” said Cinematheque secretary Franco Anton. “But I love the idea of studying. Like, study fucking movies, watch movies, read scripts! It’s the best way.”

Dunnet-Alcocer’s own background helped solidify the authenticity of the Latino representation done in “Blue Beetle.” Students felt recognized and seen through the medium of filmmaking, knowing that all stories can be told.

“So as a Latino American who wants to see herself represented on film and media, when I watched the trailer of the movie I had a lot of misconceptions about what the movie was,” said Cinematheque ICC representative Camila Gaona. “I thought it was just like a cash grab and trying to not handle the Mexican-American experience well. But what I hear is he’s a genuine Mexican-American who’s just trying to tell the story, and that’s really influential and like, it changed my perspective […] when he’s talking about the new wave of cinema. How we get the chance to tell our stories, how it’s different, so influential in how the entire population sees us.”

Jang, who also served as moderator for this presentation, called to each audience member at the end of the presentation to name one Latinx film that they would commit to watch. “Amores Perros” (2000) and “Los Caifanes” (1967) emerged as the most popular choices for the audience’s promised dive into Latinx cinema.