ABSTRACT
In 2002, the independent film Real Women Have Curves (dir. Patricia Cardoso) proved that a Latina-themed and -helmed film could be both a critical and financial success. The film was an HBO Films production, initially intended for cable television, but its overwhelming reception on the festival circuit led to a theatrical release. This essay explores how the film’s status as HBO Films’ first theatrical release situates it between Hollywood and independent film, as well as between the film and television industries. It details moments in the film text that conform to ideological positions consistent with mainstream understandings of Latina experiences in the United States and suggests why the film may not have represented the shift in tides for Latinas in the film industry, which so many hoped it would.
