Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena

TRT: 47 minutes, in English and Spanish with English or Spanish subtitles, Color, copyright: 1999

Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena explores the mass adulation and explosive posthumous recognition of Selena Quintanilla, the Tejano rock singer murdered by the president of her fan club in 1995.  Pushing beyond the mainstream media’s fascination with her violent death, Portillo interviews Selena’s family and friends as well as the devoted fans that pilgrimage to Selena’s grave in Corpus Christi, Texas, to pay homage to the slain star.  Moving and provocative, this humble investigative portrait explores Selena’s cultural significance as a pop icon and shines a light on the hopes, fantasies, fears, and realities of young Latinas today. 

“Brilliant, intense, visceral, and certainly one of the warmest documentaries about Latinas ever made…Another masterful work that fits well into the Portillo pantheon.” 

—Deborah Martin, San Diego Latino Film Festival

“Corpus traces Selena's life from a Latina feminist perspective… Portillo's film makes astute and sometimes pointed observations about celebrity, class, beauty, fame, and culture.” 

—Belen Acosta , The Austin Chronicle