Monica Castillo
Poynter
New York, NY, United States
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Past articles by Monica:
Freelancing was never easy. The coronavirus made it nearly impossible. –
Facing hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many freelancers are asking, 'Is this the end of my career?' Not yet. → Read More
Here's Your Guide to the Latino Films That Played the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival
Find our reviews of some of the Latino films that screened at this year's film festival, including Loira Limbal's 'Through the Night' and Rodrigo Reyes's '499.' → Read More
'One Day at a Time' Returns Better Than Ever Just in Time to Soothe Us All
In its new home at Pop TV, 'One Day at a Time' returns better than ever, with enough heart and humor to soothe us in these trying times. → Read More
Film Festivals Like True/False Show Why Pushes For Diversity Need to Look Beyond Numbers
Festivals like True/False are slowly creating welcoming spaces that can open the doors to Latino filmmakers and moviegoers who have often been shut out. → Read More
REVIEW: 'Epicentro' Is an Ambitious & Myopic Doc on Cuba That Rehashes Tired Ideas About the Island
Austrian filmmaker Hubert Sauper won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at Sundance for his Cuba-focused film 'Epicentro.' → Read More
REVIEW: Diego Luna Will Break Your Heart in Time-Bending Romance 'Wander Darkly'
Review: Diego Luna stars alongside Sienna Miller in Tara Miele's drama 'Wander Darkly,' which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. → Read More
Filmmakers go beyond Walter Mercado's capes in 'Mucho Mucho Amor'
Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch say astrologist Walter Mercado spoke with lively candor for "Mucho Mucho Amor," a documentary premiering at Sundance. → Read More
REVIEW: 'Un Traductor' Is a Moving Tale About a Cuban Man Assigned to Help Young Chernobyl Victims
The country is still cozy with the U.S.S.R. when it accepted an unexpected import from its Soviet ally: children, sick and dying from radiation poisoning in the aftermath of Chernobyl. → Read More
Acclaimed immigration film 'El Norte' returns, more relevant than ever
"People said this movie could have been made yesterday," said filmmaker Gregory Nava of the harrowing movie of two Guatemalan siblings coming to the U.S. → Read More
This Moving Documentary Spotlights a Radical Alternative to Girl Scouts for Young Girls of Color
The simple act of creating a space that centers black and brown girls is radical. If you don’t know this, just ask the Radical Monarchs, an Oakland-based group for girls ages 8 to 13 to learn about self-acceptance, body positivity, inclusion, intersectionality, and so much more. Founded by two queer women – Anayvette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest – who sensed a need for girls of color in… → Read More
After Making Movies With $100M Budgets, Robert Rodriguez Filmed 'Red 11' With Just $7K
He hopes to use it as a master class to teach new directors the craft. → Read More
I saw my Cuban American life in ‘One Day at a Time.’ Netflix jilted it, and me.
Monica Castillo is a freelance writer and film critic based in New York. She is a contributor at RogerEbert.com. March 16 at 4:40 AM My story is one shared by many children of immigrants in the United States. As a Cuban American, I rarely saw myself in the movies or TV shows I loved. If I did, people with my last name or my family’s likeness usually played the bad guy (“Scarface”) or a side… → Read More
Hesitating to go see ‘Captain Marvel’? Then you must be a bad feminist.
The party line is that by supporting “Captain Marvel” you are inherently supporting women and diversity in the entertainment industry. If you criticize the movie, you're a bad feminist -- and an enabler of trolls. → Read More
'One Day at a Time' Season 3 Explores the Possibility of Forgiveness After Long Family Feuds
Season three pokes fun at Latino families who hold decades-long grudges and models a path forward for healing. → Read More
'Roma' earned Alfonso Cuarón his second best director award. Here's why.
"Roma," which gave Alfonso Cuarón his second Academy Award for best director and gave Mexico its first Best Foreign Language Film, can be described as a labor of love for Cuarón. → Read More
'Somos Calentura' Is an Afro-Colombian Dance Film With a Pulsating Urbano Soundtrack
Read our review of 'Somos Calentura' (We Are the Heat). → Read More
These Powerful Documentaries Feel Like an Origin Story for Latinas at the Forefront of Politics
With these two documentaries, we see what it takes for Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to win an election and for Erika Andiola to mobilize an intersectional women's movement. → Read More
A different side of Frida Kahlo, in a first-of-its-kind exhibit
“Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving,” a first-of-its-kind exhibit that opened at the Brooklyn Museum, gives audiences a chance to see Kahlo's personal items from La Casa Azul, her famous home in Mexico. → Read More
Paraguay's Oscar Entry 'Las Herederas' Chronicles the Unraveling of a 30-Year Lesbian Relationship
Read our review of Paraguay's Oscar entry 'Las herederas' (The Heiresses). → Read More
Alfonso Cuarón's 'Roma' is considered one of the best films of the year. Here's why.
Roma is a film about memory revisited, inspired by Liboria “Libo” Rodríguez, a domestic worker who helped raise Alfonso Cuarón in Mexico during the 1970's. → Read More