When filmmakers Chris and Stef Guerrero highlighted cultural appropriation in their new film “Canceled,” they succeeded in creating a short horror and comedy that shows the consequences of one’s actions.
Directed and written by Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab alum Chris Guerrero and co-produced by Chris and Stef Guerrero, “Canceled” features a social media influencer who refuses to acknowledge her cultural appropriation of the Mexican holiday of Dia De Los Muertos and is then haunted by spirits.
The Mexican and Latino communities celebrate Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) at the end of October where the veil between our world and the spirit world is the thinnest. It is a celebration of the loved ones who have passed on and honoring them. Unfortunately, Dia De Los Muertos has become something that is popular during the spooky season as a costume or something to appropriate.
Recently, filmmakers Chris and Stef Guerrero came face to face with Dia De Los Muertos costumes and decor being sold to consumers and were frustrated that their heritage was being used by people who do not celebrate the holiday, nor do they understand that it is not something that’s a cute decoration for their house. They dealt with their frustration by creating this short film that shows the dangers of cultural appropriation.
“I wanted to make something that people could laugh at and then also be terrified by,” said Chris.
The character of the influencer girl is one that people usually think of when they imagine a stereotypical “Tik Tok Girl:” very much into herself and her looks and how many followers she has. The film’s message is to get people to think about how the stereotype and whitewashing of this cultural holiday impacts those who celebrate Dia De Los Muertos. By poking fun at the influencer stereotype, it makes the message of cultural appropriation more accessible and understandable: Don’t do it.
“I think a lot of people are really well-intentioned and they truly don’t see the difference between appreciation and appropriation, mostly because they are privileged enough to never have had to think about it too hard,” said Stef. “When you just buy a costume at the store, I think there’s this mentality of ‘well if it’s bad, why is it so accessible? Why is there a whole display at Target if it’s bad for me to participate in this?’ They [consumers] don’t really investigate it any further or realize that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.”
“Canceled” showcases how easy it can be to culturally appropriate something without realizing it and makes viewers think about your own choices.
“I really wanted to highlight how cringe-worthy it is to culturally appropriate,” said Chris. “I think when you show people what cultural appropriation looks like, like the character in this short story, people might be able to see it better in themselves.”
Both cultural appropriation and stereotyping are extremely harmful to cultures and can impact generations and how they view and honor their heritage. Chris and Stef and their team are able to display the harmfulness of using someone’s culture as a trend or costume and show the consequences of those choices.
You may not get haunted by the dead, but your actions can have results that are just as scary.
