Thread by @JuanCCeledonMD

A few personal insights about the @EncantoMovie about the Madrigals, a fictional Colombian family. The location of Encanto is based on the Valley of Cocora in the beautiful coffee-growing region of the country. You can see tall palm trees, called Palma de Cera 🇨🇴

My wife’s paternal grandfather, Armando Dugand, successfully postulated the Palma de Cera to be the national tree of Colombia. He was the first Director of the Institute of Natural Sciences of the National University of Colombia (1940-1953) and the son of a French immigrant

Colombia is a geographically diverse country, with coasts on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, snowy peaks in the Andes mountains, a desert in the north, and vast jungles around the Orinoco and Amazon rivers. The country has the second richest biodiversity worldwide

Colombia is also racially and ethnically diverse. The movie tries to showcase all this diversity through the appearance and the costumes/hats of the “Encanto” characters, including the “Sombrero Volteao” from the Caribbean Coast, which Colombians often wear for sporting events

The country’s diversity led to its rich folklore and music, reflected in the songs that @Lin_Manuel Miranda composed for “Encanto”. While “We can’t talk about Bruno” is (rightfully) catchy and popular, my personal favorite is “Dos Oruguitas” (“Two Caterpillars”)

“Dos Oruguitas” tells the story of Alma, Mirabel’s grandmother (“Abuela”). Alma meets her husband, Pedro, on the “Day of the Little Candles” (“Dia de las Velitas”), a feast celebrating the Virgin Mary on December 7 (and one of my favorite holidays- I loved lighting the candles)

Alma + Pedro get married and she has triplets (Julieta, Pepa + Bruno [the one “we don’t talk about”]). Shortly afterwards, Alma’s life is shattered due to politically motivated violence, as Pedro is killed. Despite this, Alma cares for her family through grit, faith + “a miracle”

While the song plays, Mirabel can see, understand, and appreciate her grandmother’s courage and enormous suffering. In turn, Alma apologizes for losing her true north and understands that her “new miracle” is Mirabel. As they reconcile, yellow butterflies show up.

The yellow butterflies are a reference to “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, the book by the Colombian Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (whose son, Rodrigo, spoke at the last ATS meeting). Such butterflies symbolize impossible love- love and hope

More broadly, the song tells the story of the many Colombians who suffered personal losses yet move forward for the sake of their families. @EncantoMovie humanizes Colombians as wonderfully imperfect people who work hard yet celebrate life to the fullest #RepresentationMatters

The movie and the song are odes to the brilliant grace, strength, and resiliency of Colombian women. I should know. Over the last 30 years, a Colombian woman has given me a window into heaven through her eyes. This thread is for her (Lily) and our two daughters (Laura + Carolina)

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