Themes: Fighting the System, High School Life, Race Relations
Main Cast: Alexa Vega, Michael Peña, Yancey Arias, Laura Elena Harring, Efren Ramirez
Release Year: 2006
Country: US
Run Time: 110 minutes
Plot
Made for cable, Walkout is the true story of a little-known but profoundly significant moment in the history of the Latino community in East Los Angeles. In 1968, Lincoln High School honor student Paula Crisostomo (Alexa Vega), outraged at the shabby treatment afforded Chicano students in the L.A. school system -- including habitually lowered expectations, poor facilities, a total absence of bilingual courses or textbooks, unfairly administered penalties for slight infractions, demeaning corporal punishment, and out-of-hand refusal to write letters of recommendation to choice colleges -- challenges the authority of her elders for the first time in her life by organizing a mass student walkout at five barrio high schools. Mentored by dedicated young teacher Sal Castro (Michael Pena), Paula and her fellow student activists intend to make their protest a peaceful one, but the L.A. cops typically use brute force to quell the "radicals." Even when it seems that the school board will capitulate to the Chicano students' demands, the kids are betrayed (there's an undercover police officer in their midst) and the leaders of the walkout are threatened with lengthy prison sentences on trumped-up "conspiracy" charges. It will not spoil the ending of the film to reveal that the students are ultimately successful; as directed by actor Edward James Olmos (who also plays one of the school board members), the dramatic thrust of the story is the lasting effect that the protest has on its participants -- especially the idealistic Paula Crisostomo. Executive producer Moctesuma Esparza, who'd been one of the original walkout organizers back in 1968, spent a full two decades getting this story on film; Esparza is played by Bodie Olmos, son of the director, while Esparza's daughter Tonantzin Esparza is seen as Vickie Castro. Also, Paula Crisostomo's daughter Marisol Crisostomo-Romo is seen as Mita -- and in addition, several of the former student activists are interviewed during the closing credits, or appear as extras in the crowd scenes. Produced for HBO, Walkout originally aired on March 18, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
David Washofsky - Lloyd Hurley; Holmes Osborne - Principal Ingles; Tim DeKay - Mr. Peck; Tonantzin Esparza - Vickie Castro; Bodie Olmos - Moctesuma Esparza; A. Veronica Diaz - Yoli Rios; Jeremey Ray - Robert Avila; Jonathan Hernandez - Fernie Flores; Fidel Gomez - Carlos Montes; Douglas Spain - David Sanchez; Marisol Christomo-Romo - Mita Cuaron; Germaine De Leon - Harry Gamboa; Carmen Corral - Tanya Mount; David Devora - John Ortiz; Jesse Garcia - Armando Lopez; Pablo Santos - Mickey Fernandez; Bruce French - Chief Tom Reddin; Edward James Olmos - Julian Nava; Austin Noah Marques - Jimmy Crisotomo; Walter Perez - Al Crisotomo
Credit
Rick Montgomery - Casting, Ligiah Villalobos - Co-producer, Edward James Olmos - Director, Michael McCusker - Editor, Moctesuma Esparza - Executive Producer, Robert Katz - Executive Producer, Edward James Olmos - Executive Producer, Rosino Serrano - Composer (Music Score), Carlos Barbosa - Production Designer, Donald M. Morgan - Cinematographer, Lisa Bruce - Producer, Felix Enriquez Alcala - Producer, Victor Villasenor - Screen Story, Marcus de Leon - Screenwriter, Timothy J. Sexton - Screenwriter, Ernie Contreras - Screenwriter, Edward James Olmos - Co-Executive Producer, Robert M. Young - Co-Executive Producer
Student activist and Mexican-American Paula Crisostomo (played by Alexa Vega), tired of being treated unequally, decides to take action and stage a walkout at five East Los Angeleshigh schools in 1968 to protest educational conditions and complain of anti-hispanic educational bias along with some 10,000 students. A group of young Chicano activists battle parents, teachers, bureaucrats, the police and public opinion to make their point. Along the way, the students learn profound lessons about embracing their own identity and standing up for what they believe in. There were many social justice issues present in the video, the Latinos were highly discriminated against in the educational system. The students were not given the education or respect they deserved, they were treated unequally. The teachers and administrators put effort towards helping the talented students and those other students who struggled were not given the services they needed in order to succeed in school. They were treated as if they were being punished for getting an education, they were not allowed to speak Spanish and if they did they would get corporal punishment. They were not allowed to use the bathrooms as needed. There was economic inequality, they were not being provided with the materials they need. They also limited their education by not giving them the opportunity to learn about different cultures. The students were being molded to not succeed in life and were restricted from many things. School policies were oppressive to the Mexican Americans.
