Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Blossoms of Fire

      Released Jan 1, 2000 1h 12m Documentary List
      50% 10 Reviews Tomatometer 73% 100+ Ratings Audience Score Filmmakers Maureen Gosling and Ellen Osborne interview women in Juchitan, Mexico, who are known for being fiercely independent. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (5) audience reviews
      Audience Member great doc which shed some light on such diverse things (for me) as why frida painted herself in the native lace costumes and their deeper meanings in some of her art, this doc manages to both teach & delight. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Blossoms of Fire is a dazzling film that celebrates the extraordinary lives of the Isthmus Zapotecs of southern Oaxaca, Mexico, a people with strong work ethic, fierce independence, and deep sense of pride in their culture. Visually appealing to watch as the women wear brightly colored embroidered finery to work every day. Their clothing is legendary in Juchitán, and depicted in paintings by artists like Miguel Covarrubias and Frida Kahlo. The film is also laced throughout with traditional music which works as a nice canvas to paint the movie on. The women here are powerful and intelligent. They handle the money, not the men. Not to say that the men do not work hard also, because the do, if not harder than the women. Learning about their rich culture excited me and made me want to visit. But then the film began to document the challenges many face in their work and their families and the globalization which is radically changing the way many live in this area. Some battles are maintaining their Zapotec culture and language. Blossoms of Fire was made over a period of ten years and it sure shows. The film is well put together and very interesting. The people are deeply involved in the politics and there was a whole section of the film dedicated to the discovery of their past, and why these people may be so active in government. Another part of the film was dedicated to gender roles and gender identification which to me seemed to go on longer than needed and wasn't really as interesting as the rest of the film. The most interesting theme was the dispute if there was a matriarchal hierarchy or not. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Very interesting and enlightening! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This documentary had it focus about the town of Juchitán in Oaxaca, in especific about the woman matriarchy. By moments it is kind of interesting and more if you notice the diversity of organization of other indian towns, but by other it just remember me this "gringo" perception of mexico as a "exotic place with exotic costums" [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]instead of understanding that native indians have their own categories as the people say along the documentary. It is just a local analisis that dont offered you something if your really dont know the context of the town, of oaxaca, of the women in native indian towns, in across mexico, about the mentality, costums, mytology etc, etc etc. It is a good attempt but i dont know it didnt transmit me so much... Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member [i][img]http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000FDEUYY.01._SCTZZZZZZZ_V50625000_.jpg[/img][/i] [i]BLOSSOMS OF FIRE[/i] is visually appealing and contains some very interesting information on the relationships between women and men, women and business, and women and politics in Oaxaca, Mexico. The wonderful colors that infuse almost every scene are one of this documentary’s biggest draws. That the women of the area make most of their apparel by hand is well known, and many of the dress items are sought after by locals and foreigners alike. The women are what this documentary is all about. The focus is on the matriarchal society that once existed (and maybe still does) in this area. Women run many of the businesses, are highly independent, and are deeply involved in the politics of the region. Film makers Maureen Gosling and Ellen Osborne dive into the culture of Oaxaca and take the viewer with them as some of the people of Oaxaca comment on this area’s cultural significance. Some say that there is no matriarchal hierarchy, while others say there is. Perhaps the matriarchal nature of the area is so ingrained in the people of Oaxaca that they don’t even notice it. Or perhaps it’s just a bunch of media hype to make the area more interesting. Who knows. The cleanliness of the area is what will impress many watchers, too. Most rural areas of Mexico tend to look unkempt, with hogs and dogs running amuck through tattered streets, and the residence wearing holey clothes. Not so here. The streets are swept clean, the people impeccably dressed, and not a hog or dog to be seen. The area is also a hotbed of anti-Mexican governmentalism. Fiercely independent by nature, the women (and men) protect their identity with rabid ferocity. But they also accept change and integrate it into their society ...but in a way that befits their Oaxacan culture rather than one that eats away at it. The film does stray some when it starts discussing the acceptance of homosexuality and lesbianism, though. Although interesting, it isn’t what drove this area of Mexico to its current high level of female sophistication. Even so, this is interesting information and the bright adornments on all the beautiful women is pure eye-candy. [size=1][color=sienna][b][i]No Movie Trailer Available...[/i][/b][/color][/size] [size=1][color=darkorange][b][i][url="http://www.filmreviewstew.com/"][color=darkorange]Click here[/color][color=darkorange] for THE FILM REVIEW STEW homepage![/color][/url][/i][/b][/color][/size] Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      88% % The Lifestyle 78% % Family Fundamentals 40% 43% Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope 82% 63% Live Nude Girls, Unite! 100% 80% The Decline of Western Civilization Part III Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All Blossoms of Fire photos

      Blossoms of Fire

      View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (10) Critics Reviews
      Dana Stevens New York Times Maureen Gosling's documentary aims to demythologize the Zapotec people of Juchitán, a town on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southeastern Mexico. Rated: 3/5 Feb 2, 2006 Full Review Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor She doesn't always find a way into the inner lives of these people, but even the outer lives are something to see. Rated: A- Feb 2, 2006 Full Review Phyllis Fong Village Voice Proceeding respectfully, with a measure of skepticism, Maureen Gosling and Ellen Osborne's doc doesn't exactly crumple but loses momentum through vagueness. Jan 31, 2006 Full Review Maria Garcia Film Journal International While Blossoms of Fire avoids the fluff and sensationalism of an Elle article, it is by no means the last word on Zapotec culture. Mar 1, 2007 Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide While the subject is potentially fascinating, [director] Gosling's unfocused, sluggish film is a case study in missed opportunities. Rated: 2/4 Feb 3, 2006 Full Review Saul Austerlitz Boxoffice Magazine ... Gosling's film borrows Herzog's taste for the unfamiliar and exotic without its concomitant saving grace: his wry cynicism. Rated: 2/5 Jan 22, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Filmmakers Maureen Gosling and Ellen Osborne interview women in Juchitan, Mexico, who are known for being fiercely independent.
      Director
      Ellen Osborne, Maureen Gosling
      Distributor
      New Yorker Films
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      Spanish
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jan 1, 2000, Wide
      Rerelease Date (Theaters)
      Feb 3, 2006
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $2.4K
      Runtime
      1h 12m