Coco- Family, Forgetting and Forgiveness

I went and saw Coco with some friends. We all laughed at how accurate Pixar portrayed the Grandma, the throwing of the shoes, the giant hugs and the insistence that the child needed to eat more food was all reminiscent of women we all knew from Latin America. I recognized some of the music and was, as always, in awe of the visuals. I also cried (shocker). The last 15 minutes hit me. If you've seen the movie, you know which scene I'm talking about. The idea that people needed to be remembered has always resonated with me along with the idea that our ancestors are watching over us.

Stich said, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." In Coco, Imelda has perfectly valid reasons for being angry and for acting the way that she does. But, her Grandson begs, "You don't have to forgive him, but don't let us forget him." This is a difficult concept for us to grasp. We want to protect our families and shield them from the mistakes of the past and we want to remember the good. But as it was said in the Road to El Dorado, "To err is human." In the end, most of our family members did the best they could and they deserve to be remembered.

In short- they lived a life so that those they left behind could live a better one. We are who we are because of our families. 

So remember them.