In 1993, director Alison Anders gave audiences a taste of the chola lifestyle with her feature film Mi Vida Loca. Following the lives of two friends navigating love, pregnancy, and gangs in Los Angeles’ Echo Park, Mi Vida Loca has seemingly inspired a dearth of cultural appropriation of the chola aesthetic, yet remains a cult classic from all those who truly appreciate it. And if you’re in five lucky cities you’ll have the rare opportunity to see Mi Vida Loca on the big screen at the Alamo Drafthouse.
On top of getting a chance to see Mi Vida Loca in a theater, hopefully alongside similar hardcore fans of it, the screen will also have a Q&A with director Allison Anders herself. The film will screen at Alamo Drafthouse in Austin (4/26), Yonkers (5/15), Brooklyn (5/16), Denver (6/14) and San Francisco (6/15).
Despite positive reviews from critics, the independent feature never became a theatrical juggernaut and was only released on DVD back in 2005; it’s yet to be made available on Blu-ray. Chola fashion has permeated popular culture, with singers like Lana del Rey, Lady Gaga, and Gwen Stefani all utilizing it as a method of “self-expression” that’s utterly eye-roll inducing. Actually watching Mi Vida Loca will hopefully open people up to see how it is appropriated, as well as create new legions of fans for this underseen indie.
You can find out more about the Alamo Drafthouse screenings at their official website.