Righteous Women

Righteous women don’t make happy couples. This line, spoken to me in a dream in March 2021, spurred a years-long exploration of the power of women who raise their voices in pursuit of social justice.
I grew up in a Mexican American household in Traverse City, Michigan, less than a mile from antique cherry orchards. In the summers of my youth, I enjoyed ripe cherries, never questioning whose hands picked them. It is through “Righteous Women'' that I unearth the experiences of Mexican American migrant agricultural workers in Traverse City, Michigan, particularly, the women who lead their families across thousands of miles in pursuit of their American dream.
Shot on 16mm film stock, “Righteous Women” situates itself within a larger shared history of Mexican Americans in northern Michigan. Set in 1969 in Traverse City, Michigan, the film is dreamlike, with the sleepy warmth of a midwestern summer mixed with biting cynicism characteristic of Mexican culture, a style I term chicano gothic.
Chicano gothic is fixated on the clash of religion, culture, race, and immigration. “Righteous Women” depicts the decay of farm life in the midwest during the mid-20th century due to the rise of automation in agriculture, embodied by the increasing exploitation faced by Mexican American cherry pickers amid Traverse City’s serene natural splendor. In a midwestern farmhouse adorned with a fusion of Mexican and American decor, we are introduced to the film’s central dilemma: should Alma fight for justice for her family and community, she must risk the dangers of visibility.
The story is a meditation on losing one’s voice in a struggle for fair labor rights. Alma uses her voice and is punished for it. Gery is afraid of speaking up in a society that is unforgiving to spirited women. Izta, Alma’s idealistic girlfriend, prefers to wait for the right time and place to protest. The greatest obstacles are internal and interpersonal. None of them single-handedly have the answers. Ultimately, it is through music that they unite and can begin to construct a future where they are free to live and love.
Music and art are foundational to my own vocabulary; they convey profound fears and overwhelming joys in a way that words cannot. Original music was carefully written for “Righteous Women” and accompany Alma’s journey. While Alma and Gery are divided by age, culture, and sexual identity, music is the universal language that ties them together.
The experience I’m trying to communicate with “Righteous Women” is that of finding the strength to fight. Fighting for liberation isn’t easy, nor does it happen in a single moment. It takes decades and generations. The film shows fear, guilt, and shame, yet it also celebrates the love and joy in being an audacious woman. While the story is specific, it is not a small film; the short film will be used as a proof-of-concept alongside a feature-length script in order to be told for a wider audience. “Righteous Women” is a film that honors the struggles of defiant Mexican American women artists who stand firmly against exploitation and oppression, accepting the risks of speaking up and daring to be heard. The story will continue; Alma and her family will keep fighting for equality even after we fade to black.