SYNOPSIS

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

“As a Latina woman, I grew up engulfed by machismo, surrounded by deluded men who navigate life with a hero complex. Latino men are raised with the pressures of insane qualifiers of what it means to be ‘macho’: they must earn a living for their entire family, protect them from any and all danger, and if they’re single - find an opportunity to save a helpless woman (who also happens to be insanely attractive), and make that woman your WIFE. On the contrary, daughters are raised with heavier household chores, societal responsibilities, and expectations because unbeknownst to them, they’re being trained to serve these future macho men so that they can protect us. And we as women MUST uphold this image of inferiority or run the risk of injuring the male ego which has historically led to affairs, self-destruction, and even war.

THE BULLFIGHTER is my response to the toxic fragility surrounding the male ego and how quickly it can escalate into violence when threatened. I have always found these outrageous displays of masculinity hilarious, and wildly unnecessary. Latinidad is nowhere near the sole culprit, I am just speaking from my experience as a first-generation Mexican-American woman pursuing a historically masculine career as a director.”