Asynchronous Blog Post on La Playa D.C.

25 thoughts on “Asynchronous Blog Post on La Playa D.C.”

1. In the Colombian movie La Playa D.C., Tomas and his brothers engage in Bogota’s hip-hop subcultures as a kind of emancipation. The movie examines how these young guys negotiate their lives in a city that is frequently hostile to their presence using hip-hop apparel, attitudes, and aesthetics. The movie focuses on Tomas and his siblings’ use of hip-hop to confront their social and economic marginalization and express their identities. The characters in the movie frequently wear baseball caps in bright colors and prints, along with baggy jeans, shoes, and other items of hip-hop clothing. Their fashion sense expresses their passion for hip-hop and their disregard of conventional conventions. Tomas and his brothers can express their individual personalities and proclaim their own ideals through hip-hop attire in a city where physical appearances are frequently utilized to make value judgments. Hip-hop behaviors are also central to the characters’ participation in the subculture. To make their presence known in the city and establish their value among their peers, Tomas and his brothers engage in freestyle rap fights and hip-hop dance techniques. They can exhibit their skills and inventiveness, which are frequently underutilized in other facets of their lives, through these activities.Hip-hop aesthetics are also present in the film, as the characters use graffiti and street art to claim public spaces and express their creativity. La Playa D.C. exemplifies how hip-hop subcultures can be an excellent tool for empowerment and self-expression in the face of marginalization and exclusion.

2. Let’s start with the relationship between Tomas and his younger brother, Jairo. The start of the film shows that Jairo has been missing for long periods of time and that he’s been involved with drugs and gangs, getting kicked out by the stepdad just as quickly as he arrives. When Tomas defends his younger brother, he also gets kicked out, leaving the two of them to fend for themselves on the streets. It is here that the layered relationship between these two brothers, especially the layers of brotherhood and loyalty, can be seen as although both are brothers, this loyalty seems to come at a greater cost for Tomas than Jairo, particularly when it is revealed that Jairo took all the drugs the dealers gave him, smoked it all, racked up 100,000 pesos of debt, and came just to tell Tomas goodbye. Now let’s go to the relationship between Tomas and his older brother, Chaco, who was deported trying to flee to Europe, and more specifically to when they reunite later in the film. Based on the conversations they have, it seems like Chaco doesn’t have loyalty to his family anymore, wanting to leave again as soon as possible, but that Tomas is still a brother to him, even going as far as to offer Tomas a place to sleep in his room. This sentiment, especially of the desire to leave again as soon as possible, is further reinforced when Tomas and Chaco are kicked out of an upscale mall by security guards later.

3. The three brother Tomas, Chaco, and Jairo have a very layered relationship, that puts a lot of stress on all 3 brothers. Chaco is the oldest and tries to look out for the middle child Tomas as best as he can by giving him a place to stay when he gets kicked out, and attempts to take him along when he goes to leave Colombia. Jairo is the youngest and causes a lot of problems by always being out in the street doing drugs, and owing drug dealers a lot of money. This mostly causes problems for Tomas, as he spends a lot of his time looking for Jairo, and even loses 100,000 pesos because drug dealers his brother owes money too take it to repay his debt. Tomas is a very smart, and talented guy, with a very bright future as a barber, but its seen that hes not able to really find peace in this job until Jairo is dead, and Chaco is leaving the country again. While he loves his brothers very much its impossible for him to pursue his dreams with them around. For Jairo the reasons are quite literal and obvious, but with Chaco the reason is a bit more subtle. Chaco is a good guy and helps out Tomas as much as he can, but he has different goals then Tomas, and hes not willing to change them in order to completely support Tomas.

4. Option Two

   The film “La Playa” displays at least two-three different forms of displacement that Afro-Colombians face. For example, Tomas and Jairo’s father was killed before the events of the film. The family dynamic in “La Playa” is very dysfunctional in general. The youngest, Jairo, frequently goes out and wanders around town against his mother’s wishes, is addicted to drugs, and owes a lot of money to several drug dealers. Jairo does drugs in order to cope with his unstable life. Tomas, the second oldest, is constantly looking for his younger brother Jairo, and seeks out work as a barber to save up money in order to leave Colombia with his little brother. The two brothers are not on good terms with their security guard step father, since he calls Jairo a drug dealer. The brothers are both shown to not have any external support system in their lives except for their family.

5. Option Three:

   La Playa is the nickname given to the Afro-Colombian neighbourhood of Bogota, where its inhabitants come from the coast of the Caribbean. And as it was intimately shot in the film of the same name, it is under rampant poverty that its inhabitants scrape by through a variety of odd jobs, and additionally deal with heavy discrimination that doesn’t make their lives any easier.

   As the middle brother, Tomas devotes a loyalty to his brothers that’s not returned. He agrees to follow Chaco back to the north, but only if they find Jairo and he agrees to head along with them.

   As Tomas and Chaco make a deal to get enough money that will get them through the journey, Tomas finds himself and his own aspirations as he finds a place in a barbershop while Chaco resorts to working odd jobs. While searching for Jairo, Tomas and Chaco are discriminated and humiliated as they are kicked out of a mall. Chaco tells Tomas clearly that the discrimination and mistreatment of Afro-Colombians is the reason he fled the country.

   Jairo constantly relives the past and deals with trauma from witnessing the death of his father at an impressionable age. Coming from a place without resources left him with little ways to cope with the trauma but to resort to drugs to escape his home and his dark memories.

   Each brother finds their own ways to cope and get by with the lives they were given. Chaco searches for a new one in foreign soil, Tomas settles and begins to do hair for a start, and Jairo remains stuck where he is, with few signs of a better life ahead.

6. Option two
   Displacement plays a very big role in this film because it is something that affects the characters in their day-to-day lives. Tomas and his family were displaced when they had to leave their first home, most likely due to the guerrillas. Tomas is later displayed when his stepfather kicks him out of the house very rudely. After leaving his home, Tomas finds himself sleeping in the street and struggling to make a living. Another character who faces displacement throughout the film is Jairo, who constantly has to leave his ‘home’ in order to hide. Jairo is young, but just like Tomas, he finds it hard to find a safe place in the world. We can see how Chaco also faced a similar struggle when he was deported. One could even say that Chaco and Tomas were displaced when they were kicked out of the mall after being racially profiled. Even at the end of the film, Tomas has yet to find where he really belongs in society and where he can finally feel happy. Through the life experiences of these characters, the film explores how finding a stable and safe home is a struggle for lower-class Afro-Colombians in Bogota.

7. After watching the film “La Playa D.C.” the film shows masculinity, brotherhood, and loyalty.
   Tomas decided to pick his brothers over his mom and her husband especially since he felt like his mom couldn’t speak for herself as well as him not having the best relationship with his stepdad. However, being that he decided to rely his loyalty with his brothers that had resulted to him having to be on his own with a little bit of help from his oldest brother. Meanwhile, Chaco made money by fixing car plates and cleaning tires, but he kept on renting to Tomas and telling him life would be way better if they left Colombia. In other words, once they found their youngest brother then Chaco thought it was best if they leave right away. Jairo was Tomas main worried, throughout the film Jairo was in a serious situation where he owes drug dealers money. While Tomas was passionate about cutting her, Jairo’s problem became Tomas’s problems as well that Tomas couldn’t really focus on his dream. At the end of the film, Jairo die and Chaco leaves Colombia, Tomas was able to start a fresh chapter and really focus on cutting hair.

8. La Playa, D.C. displays an intensely complex relationship between Tomas and his two brothers, Chaco and Jairo. The Afro-Columbian family is no stranger to hardship, facing displacement while living in the neighborhood of Bogota. However, each brother seems to take their own path over the course of this film. Chaco, the oldest brother, is on a mission to escape Columbia. He was caught in an attempt to flee to Europe and deported, but is motivated to complete small gigs in order to save up enough pesos to finally leave. This plan doesn’t involve anyone other than himself, until Tomas was kicked out of his home by his stepfather for defending the youngest brother, Jairo, in a dispute. Chaco takes Tomas in from the streets and encourages him to save money for their escape, showing his desire to care for his brother. Tomas works as a barber to accomplish this, but this mission becomes more difficult as time passes. Tomas’ younger brother, Jairo, is a drug addict, who accumulates a debt of 100,000 pesos with his dealers. He was missing for 3 months, but returned to the family home only to “say goodbye” as he presumes the dealers are going to murder him soon. Tomas wishes to help Jairo, but Jairo is convinced of his demise. Jairo and Tomas spend a lot of time reminiscing on old times, showing their value of brotherhood. It is shown that Jairo cares for his family deeply, but he cannot overcome his addiction to the streets. It is only when Tomas is left alone in Bogota, following Jairo’s death and Chaco’s fleeing of the country, that Tomas is able to fully embrace his new skill of barbering. This is symbolic of his need to separate himself from his brothers, regardless of the love he feels for them. Tomas desperately wishes for togetherness, but the difficulties that each individual brings to the table consumes his own personal goals.

9. Option 3: The three brothers are Tomas, Chaco and Jairo. Tomas is the middle child. Chaco is the oldest and Jairo is the youngest. Chaco tries to take Tomas with him to leave Colombia and go back north. Chaco wants to leave Colombia because of how bad they treat Afro Colombians. got Tomas a place with Dona Maria when he got kicked out of his moms house. Tomas agreed to go but then he tells Chaco he isn’t leaving Jairo. Which is understandable his mom wants him to take care of Jairo. He can’t leave his little brother behind. Jairo causes a lot of problems for him and his brothers. Jairo owes drug dealer 100,000 pesos. If he doesn’t give the drug dealer the 100,000 he could end up dead. Tomas get’s a job at barber shop and he actually enjoys the job. Tomas used the money Nelson gave him to buy clippers, to pay off his brothers debt. That puts Tomas in a sticky situation with Nelson because now he won’t have a job and he let Nelson down. But he did that to save his brother. Jairo doesn’t realize how his actions are effecting his brother Tomas a lot. Tomas paying off Jairo’s debt shows loyalty because he really cares for his little brother. And he didn’t want him to go missing again.

10. Option 3. I see the relationship between the brothers as being based on brotherhood and loyalty. However it is interesting to see how loyalty changes between all three. For Chaco loyalty to him is Tomas going with him to the north. We see this as he tells Tomas to work and save 200,000 in Colombian currency in order to go with him. Whenever Tomas is hesitant on going to the north Chaco calls him unloyal. On the other hand for Tomas himself loyalty in his mind is helping Jairo in paying off his debt. This is why he is hesitant to go with Chaco because of his deep bond with Jairo he can not leave without him. This is seen when he uses the money for the clippers to instead pay Jairos debt even if it’ll lose him the job. The brother care for each other but Tomas and Chaco have different views on what they want. Chaco wants to go to the north while Tomas wants to stay and make a good living where he is. We see this at the end as Tomas stayed and gave haircuts and Chaco left. While they cared for each other and worked together they chose different paths.

11. The relationship between the brothers in La Playa D.C. was definitely very layered and unique. Each brother had their own thing going on within their personal lives but never neglected each other. Throughout the film, the relationship that is seen the most is between Chaco and Tomas. Since Chaco was the oldest, we see how he looks out for his younger brother Tomas, as he is trying to guide him in the right direction after being kicked out of his mother’s house. Chaco also looked out for his brother by showing him the different ways Tomas can make money within the city, by rim painting and cutting hair. The relationship between Tomas and Chaco had its ups and downs throughout the film, which can definitely reflect on real-life scenarios between siblings. The youngest brother, Jairo appeared in the film a couple of times as he was considered a drug addict and always on the streets. Even though Jairo chose that path for his life, Tomas and Chaco did their best to take care of him and get him away from that life. However, it seemed that Tomas initiated this care for Jairo only, while Chaco just wanted to leave the city with Tomas. I feel like it’s common for the middle and youngest child to be the closest within a three-sibling dynamic.

12. Option Two:
    The film demonstrates different forms of displacement through the racism that Afro-Colombians face in La Playa. In the beginning of the film, when Tomas is looking for his brother Chaco, there is a young Afro-Colombian man who cleaned a white Colombian car’s wheels and asked for 10 pesos per wheel. After the service, the car owner tried to pay him only 10 pesos. When the car cleaner insisted on the full amount of money, the car owner responded stating, “there’s no doing business with you people.” The car owner’s statement referred to him being black and demonstrates how he uses his race as an excuse to not see the value of his work. Low pay is a form of displacement since it stems from racist views and with the racism that Afro-Colombian people face, social mobility becomes difficult. Furthermore, the racism that doesn’t allow Afro Columbians to find well paying work also harms Tomas and Chaco. They were lounging around when they went to the mall to search for the barber, and even though it was a public area, three police officers escorted them out because of a stereotypical view they held in their mind. Additionally, Chaco has to work tirelessly, every day for a month in these odd jobs of cleaning wheels and fixing up plates to get the sufficient amount of money for a bus ride to Europe where he hopes for a life with opportunities. The racism that exists in their city has created an environmental that promotes a cycle of poverty for many Black people.

13. Option II
    Displacement plays a very big role in this film because it is something that we see constantly affect the characters throughout the film. Initially we see Tomas being displaced when his mother suggests he get a job as a security worker like his stepfather. When Tomas refuses, he finds out that his mother, along with his stepfather, have made the decision to kick him out of the house for not having a proper job. Tomas finds himself sleeping on the streets and goes out to find his older brother Chaco. We are also introduced to Tomas’ younger brother Jairo who also faces displacement and is in a way disowned by his stepfather for selling drugs and leaving home for 3 months. However, despite being absent, Jairo makes the effort to return home to say his “goodbyes”, demonstrating that he cares for his family. After Tomas leaves home and moves in with his brother Chaco, we continue to see him be displaced in public settings. When Tomas makes flyers to help find his brother Jairo, he decides to put them up around the mall. Businesses such as barber shops that are owned by afro-colombians give him permission to put up the flyers on their windows but the one barber shop that isn’t afro-colombian owned, denies his request to put up the flyers. We also see Tomas and Chaco being displaced when they are racially profiled and kicked out at a different mall. The film explores the lives of the three brothers and their journeys in finding stable homes.

14. From Ethan del Rosario de Regino:

    The film La Playa D.C. depicts the different forms of displacement Afro-Colombians experience because of colorism. There are four forms that I witnessed throughout the film. Family and romantic relationships, workplace, and society. At the beginning of the film it suggests that Tomas and Jairo are being kicked out of the house by their step-dad, he doesn’t seem to care for them unlike their youngest sibling which we can infer is their half sibling.

    Afro-Colombians were working on a car and the client didn’t want to pay the correct amount to them, they complained that their work is valuable but the client said, “you can’t do business with your type of people.” The client had a sense of a hierarchy, that he was superior to them because he was of a lighter skin tone than them.
    Tomas and his brother Chaco were looking for Jairo at the mall, but were then kicked out by security. The mall was located in the white neighborhood. This goes on to show how they were perceived as a threat even though they weren’t doing anything wrong. Chaco then tells Tomas that was the reason why he left the country, since he didn’t like being humiliated for the color of his skin.

    The relationship Tomas had with the girl I thought was also a type of displacement because of the way it was hidden. It was as though she was scared or embarrassed of being seen with a person of a darker skin tone. At the end when we see how she doesn’t even seem to offer any type of sympathy for what he just went through.
    In the end we see that Tomas chooses to stay in Colombia and start his own barbering business in his own neighborhood at a low price that the neighbors can afford unlike where he started this talent where they could charge customers a lot.

15. The eldest brother experiences himself being more valued in the world outside of Colombia and invites 2nd brother. Elder brother is already familiar with the outside world, he has a hip-hop taste in his fashion, hairstyle and demeanor. Inspired by the eldest bro, the second bro begins working as an apprentice at a barber shop. His style is an art-like shave created with clippers. Of course, these hairstyles are a common style in hip-hop. Luckily, he also had a talent for drawing, and his hands were dexterous, so his connection with hip-hop became stronger. Given their living conditions in bogota, it goes back to hip-hop’s roots. They are minorities, they are discriminated against, they are in poverty, and the way they challenge such unfairness and unreasonableness embodies the so-called “hip-hop” itself.

16. The film offers a complex portrait of masculinity, brotherhood, and loyalty. Unpack the layered relationship between the brothers.

    Both Tomas and Cacho feel a sort of kinship and responsibility towards each other. As they took care of each other as much as they could, they hatched plans together on how to work and get out of their situations. This was seen in how they worked together to clean cars, give haircuts, and whatever other work they could find to go and make the money they need to leave the city. As they were both abandoned/left behind by their mother and their stepfather, they only have themselves. This relationship becomes infinitely more complicated with Jairo, the youngest of the three, as he is a loose cannon. As he was a drug addict, due to his trauma of seeing his father get killed when he was younger, he often does not have the same goal sharing as the other two, as he is more focused on escaping his mental prison rather than his physical one; poverty. His loyalty is not with his brothers, but he is not disloyal either. He is simply too in his own head to understand the damage he is doing. Tomas feels that it is his responsibility to care for him and keep him alive, though unfortunately he is not able to and Jairo passes away. Both his feelings as a brother and a guardian are what keep him tethered where he is, and that is where we see him lose the things that he needs, like the relationship that he has with Nelson. By breaking his trust and paying off the people that Jairo owed money, he saves Jairo at the cost of himself, and we see how it impacts him. At the end, Cacho leaves for the North, Jairo is dead, and Tomas is alone on the streets, doing what he can to make money and survive day by day with what he has.

17. Afro- Latinos being displaced in Latin America isn’t anything new, especially in Colombia where so many marginalized communities are neglected by the government. From Tomas’ accent alone, and the one of his brother, I could tell the boys weren’t raised in Bogota. Early on in the film they also express what their life was like in Buenaventura. In Colombia areas with a predominantly Black population are underfunded, which means that the lack of resources account for the the few opportunities available to the Colombian citizens in those areas. En la costa, the better opportunities are offered to those with money (quite a small group), because they have access to education or family businesses. On the other hand, everyone else must survive off the tourism (if there is any, not all coastal cities are as popular as Cartagena). This means becoming beach vendors, or working within the hospitality industry, which usually requires “rosca” or una “palanca”. Employment is very unstable in Colombia, and people below the poverty line don’t have access to socioeconomic mobility. This is exactly why we see so much internal migration from Afro Colombians, to places like Bogota or Medellin. These cities are a lot more frequented, with moving economies. However, as we see with Tomas’ little brother many times what is available that is “easiest” are illicit.

    1. The biggest displacement of course of Afro and Indigenous communities in rural areas, have been due to guerrilla or paramilitary groups. All of this inflicts on the stability and economy of the country.

18. In “La Playa D.C” a complex and layered relationship is described among the brothers Tomas, El Chaco, and Jairo. I think it’s very important to note that in a family dynamic with three young men and no father figure, it often falls for one of the aforementioned young men, if not all of them, to start looking for ways to supplement the love and instruction they would’ve felt from a positive male role model. Given Jairo’s issues with substance abuse, it’s clear that he didn’t follow suit of his brothers in trying to gain footing in an unfamiliar place, and if he did, he failed to do so. Their mom’s boyfriend was not willing to work with them and help them become better men, and essentially leaves them to find their own path of survival. This is extremely detrimental to their development as young men and teaches them negative connotations of the role of masculinity and family. As Tomas begins to find his own way, it is my opinion that his relationship with his brothers becomes estranged or not as pronounced as it was when they were young and together.

19. The film has Tomas, an Afro-Colombian teenager who grows up surrounded by exclusion and racism. When his younger brother and closest friend disappear, Tomas hits the streets to find his friend and identity. The sense of brotherhood is seen when he goes to try and find his little brother, Jairo who ran away from his abusive stepfather blames him for the disintegration of their family and who’s now an inept drug dealer who tends to use all of his dope instead of actually selling it. During the film Jairo does drugs in order to cope with his unstable life and soon ran from and Tomas and his older brother Chaco soon follow in pursuit of him, he made enough money to go on his adventure to go find him but Jairo kept racking up a debt of his own, borrowing more than he can pay back to support his crack habit. The loyalty and brotherhood is strong with these three brothers but Chaco is more caring than the others, each have experience fending for themselves and caring for each other, Chaco leaves because he realizes he can’t have dreams around them.

20. The movie La Playa D.C. is about three Afro-Colombian brothers named Tomas, Jairo, and Chaco. They live in a city that is unfriendly to them, and their relationship is complicated. Throughout the film, the brothers face challenges that test their bond. The movie explores the theme of masculinity and how it affects the brothers’ relationship. The oldest brother, Tomas, takes on the role of the family’s protector and provider. Jairo, the middle brother, struggles with feeling less masculine because he cannot contribute financially. Chaco, the youngest brother, is still trying to figure out his place in the world and looks up to his older brothers for guidance. In the movie, the brothers have intense arguments and even physical fights, which shows that their relationship has a lot of tension. But, there are also moments when they show affection and take care of each other. These moments reveal that the brothers have a strong and loving connection despite their conflicts.

21. Option 1
    In “La Playa D.C.”, Tomas and his brothers participate in hip-hop subcultures in Bogotá, empowering themselves through its fashion, behaviors, and aesthetics. Hip-hop culture provides a way for them to express their frustrations with poverty, inequality, exclusion, and discrimination, while also claiming an empowered critical identity. One way in which Tomas and his brothers participate in hip-hop culture is through their fashion choices. They wear baggy clothes, baseball caps, and sneakers, which are characteristic of hip-hop fashion. These fashion choices allow them to assert their identity as part of a subculture that is different from the mainstream. It also allows them to express their resistance to the norms of Colombian society, which they see as oppressive and exclusionary. In addition to their fashion choices, Tomas and his brothers also participate in hip-hop culture through their behaviors and attitudes. They use hip-hop language and slang, and they listen to hip-hop music. These behaviors and attitudes provide them with a sense of belonging and connection to a community of like-minded individuals.

22. OPTION THREE

    The film offers a complex portrait of masculinity, brotherhood, and loyalty. Unpack the layered relationship between the brothers.

    In the movie, “La Playa D.C.” there are three brothers that serve as the protagonists, Tomas, Jairo and Chaco. Tomas and his brothers live in the city of Bogotá in Colombia, and throughout the film it shows their struggles through this chaotic city. Tomas is the oldest brother, therefore, he takes after the youngest. He’s seen as the “parental” figure and he’s supposed to be strong in front of them. The second (and middle) brother is Jairo. Jairo is not able to contribute to the household financially, feeling less of a man compared to the others. He is not able to provide for his family the way he wishes he could. The youngest brother, Chaco, is trying to find his place in this hectic world. Though he’s trying to find his place in his world, he is looks up to his two brothers for guidance in the world. Though each brother is going through their own troubles, they still look after each other and it’s clear that they have a strong relationship with each other.

23. Option 3-
    This film follows Tomas’ journey of self discovery and newfound independence after being kicked out from his mothers house by his stepfather. Tomas feels that he is the protector between the brothers. Being that his younger brother, Jairo is missing throughout the movie he feels a need to find and help him turn his life around since Jairo is an addict. Impacted by poverty and not having a relationship with his mother he turns to his older brother Chaco. Chaco is seen as the older brother who seems to have everything handled but we later see that Chaco is just running away from his problem by finding someplace new to go, wanting to escape from his hometown in search of something bigger. While Tomas’ loyalty to his brothers becomes his downfall. Bogota allows him to express his creativity and develops a passion for creating designs through cutting hair. He trusts Chaco enough that they save money together to get out of Bogota and move up north. When he is jumped for knowing Chaco he loses his job as a barber. Then when Jairo goes missing again he finds him using drugs again and even uses them too. The movie ends in Chaco leaving Bogota and Jairo dying by the choices he made. Tomas realizes in the end all he has is himself to support him with this new passion.

24. The way word “ Malcriada” is used to describe someone who’s grateful, acting like a brat or spoiled. In other words, it’s used in a negative way when describing someone’s actions. In the short story, the word Malcriada was used to describe the narrator as a disobedient child who doesn’t listen or follows rules. Avila uses the word “Malcriada” to critique the ways in which patriarchal societies silence and marginalize young girls and femmes who do not fit into traditional gender roles. By embracing a label that is often used to shame and stigmatize them, is refusing to be silenced or erased by societal expectations. Also, the word is use as a tool for empowerment and self-expression, as well as to show when young girls don’t follow up to their families expectation. And because of their actions they get punished whether that’s through physical actions and emotionally. This results to your family considering and labeling you as the bad one or the trouble maker of the family who will never be good or listen. Growing up, my mom would use this word to describe my behavior in terms of when i didn’t listen or i was acting like a brat.

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