In Mexico, quinceañeras symbolize a girl’s transition into womanhood. In Thalia’s debut as a film director and producer, she showcases five powerful stories narrated in short documentary format.
’15: A Quinceañera Story’ is an HBO documentary series which hit screens in the United States this Tuesday. It covers five different stories U.S. Latinas went through to celebrate their ‘Quinces’ and dives into familiar social context surrounding the celebration of their fifteenth birthday.
Zoey is the first out of five to tell her story. She was born a male, and in the episode, the Los Angeles-based teen ‘has chambelanes’ and ‘trans-godmothers’ with her.
Her mother makes an appearance and speaks about her daughter’s transition, and about James. James is the girl’s godfather and the lawyer who years back helped her win a legal discrimination battle against her school.
Zoey, 16, is already an activist for trans teenagers. “I emphasize they are part of my community, but being an activist also means playing a part in the fight for equality,” she said.
She also opens up about the obstacles she faced to achieve self-acceptance and gain the acceptance of others. “Ninth grade was one of the most difficult moments in my life,” she explained. “Everybody at school kept calling me ‘the tranny.'”
“I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just accept me as female,” she continued. “I transitioned and had my name legally changed. What else could they want? Now I know I’m just a girl. I’m a trans girl. A fun Latina trans girl.”
The other series’ protagonists are Rosi, Ashley, Jackie, and Nina. Rosi, who lives in Florida, is the daughter of a Cuban father and a Guatemalan mother. She decided to celebrate her 15th birthday in Habana since her grandfather doesn’t have a permit to travel into the United States.
Ashley is an amateur boxer, her mother is a DREAMer, and her father got deported. As her birthday party date nears, so does her first official boxing competition. All the while, her trainer faces possible deportation at the hands of ICE.
Jackie and Nina are two best friends who live in San Antonio. They are both ‘escaramuzas’ or traditional Mexican horseback riders. The friends decided to accept their Mexican-American heritage by celebrating a quinceañera that honors both of their coming of age and their love for the classic horse-riding tradition.
Thalia, who directed and produced the series, claimed all five protagonists are her heroes. “It’s impressive getting to know these stories, they’re told in a way that’s romantic, beautiful and sweet, but simultaneously real and raw,” she said.
A Quinceañera Story was a project that took over five years to finish. It will get released in Mexico and other Latin-American countries by 2018.
This article was inspired by Moneyish // This new HBO series examines the ritualized joy of becoming a woman