THE BLUE DINER
WATCH THE FILM HERETHE BLUE DINER is a film about food, memory, language and caskets. It is the story of a Puerto Rican mother and daughter living together in Boston and the difficulties they encounter when the daughter, Elena, mysteriously loses her ability to speak Spanish, her first language. Everyone has a theory about the origin of Elena’s misfortune, but no one knows for certain what has caused the tragic and absurd event. As Elena’s language disappears, her boyfriend’s painting inexplicably appears at the Fine Arts Museum where her mother works. In a misguided attempt to obtain an artist’s visa, his actions unleash a world of misunderstanding and trouble for Elena and her mother. As the relationship between mother and daughter deteriorates, the two women are forced to confront each other and their murky past. But a haunting song, a missing father, and a plate of fried brains help to reunite Elena, her mother, and her language.
“THE BLUE DINER is a jewel… Delicious… Touches your heart and your brain…A rare portrait of Latinos, seldom seen on films today”
(Exito / The Chicago Tribune)
“THE BLUE DINER has an international, multicultural appeal while being firmly planted in local soil…a very smart story…BLUE DINER is a sophisticated movie”
(The Boston Globe)
“A most accomplished film…with haunting performances by Lisa Vidal and Miriam Colón… THE BLUE DINER digs deep into the Boricua subconcious… while making a case for unity with newer Latin American immigrants”
(The Village Voice)
“A grown up film about believable characters caught in real-life struggles…it flows with the graceful rhythms of a lilting Spanish love song”
(The Orlando Weekly)
“Rarely does an American film address multicultural issues in anything other than a cursory, smug way…It’s refreshing, then, to see the true multicultural conflict, wrinkles and all, of Natatcha Estebanez and Jan Egleson’s The Blue Diner”
The Blue Diner, by Chris Cooke
(NEW ENGLAND FILM)
“THE BLUE DINER is colorful as a tropical bird”
(The Chicago Reader)
“An extraordinary cast…The Blue Diner is daring”
(The Boston Phoenix)