Cinco de Mayo, May 5, is the official holiday which commemorates the history of the Mexican militia’s victory over the French army at the Battle Of Puebla in 1862. In Mexico, it is mainly celebrated in Puebla, the site of the battle. In the United States, however, it has taken on a life of its own and is actually celebrated more broadly, especially along the U.S.-Mexico border. Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. celebrates the Mexican and Mexican-American and history culture that enriched the United States. Cinco de Mayo is often confused with Mexican Independence Day, which is actually September 16th.

If you want to celebrate Mexican and Mexican-American cinematic culture on Cinco de Mayo, then check out these top cinco movies.

1. Ahí está el detalle (1940), directed by Juan Bustillo Oro, is considered the best film of the comic genius Cantinflas, and established him as the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico. In the film, which is filled with physical comedy and social satire, Cantinflas’s character assumes the identity of the master of a household where his girlfriend is actually a made. The results, which include killing a rabid dog, and blackmailing a gigolo, are hysterical.

2. Los Olvidados (1950), directed by Luis Buñuel is a both surrealistic and neo-realistic depiction of the empoverished and marginilaxized children living in the slums of Mexico City. This film was a success at Cannes where it won Best Director and Best Film and is part of UNESCO’s Memory Of The World Register.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. This week we celebrated some of our own favorite top 10 bloggers who work night and day to provide us up-to-date info on films, literature, and feminist news. Don’t miss these exciting and informative blogs, as well as some of our most popular stories of the week.

Katie:

“La Misma Luna Under the Same Moon,” Not the Same Old Movie

Top 5 Eco-Friendly Gadgets for Under $50

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Nicole:

Top 10 Literary and Book Blogs

NBC11 First Wind Powered TV Station

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Giulia:

Top 10 Feminist Blogs

Horton: The New Mascot for Pro-Life

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Gina:

Top 10 Film Blogs

Top 10 Films I Would See If I Was At SXSW

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Kerry:

Our Pharmaceutically Fouled Water Supply

Top 7 New Sins Against God’s Green Earth

La misma luna (Under the Same Moon) is the story of Rosario and her 9 year old son, Carlito, who are separated by the U.S.-Mexico border, but united by love. The film, directed by Patricia Riggen and starring America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, Real Women Have Curves), Eugenio Derbez (Padre Nuestro), Adrian Alonso (The Legend of Zorro) as Carlito, Kate del Castillo (Bordertown) as Rosario, and featuring music by the Golden Globe-winning Los Tigres del Norte comes out on March 19th, but has already met critical acclaim at advanced screenings. It kicked off the 25th Miami International Film Festival, The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), The San Diego Latino Film Festival, and received a standing ovation at Sundance. In the film, Rosario leaves her son in Mexico and moves to the United States to work as a maid and to raise enough money to bring her son to The States. As Rosario searches for a better life, Carlito begins a voyage from Mexico to LA, searching for his mother. The story, in which a mother must leave her son in her native Mexico to try to build him a better life in the United States, is not mere fantasy, but is based on the countless true stories in which people risk their lives to cross a border that not only separates Mexico from the U.S., but, poverty from prosperity.

Check out the trailer below.

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