'Quinceañera' touches universal emotions

Squint at the film Quinceañera and you can see the outline of the recent bar mitzvah comedy Keeping Up With the Steins. For, while this tale of life among the Mexican-American community in the Los Angeles barrio of Echo Park is wholly different, it does explore a specific ethnic culture and is bookended by two celebrations of youngsters symbolically arriving at adulthood.

Sony Pictures Classics 'Quinceañera' B+ The verdict: A character-driven look at life in Hispanic L.A., as seen by a Mexican girl turning 15. Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland Starring: Emily Rios, Chalo González, David W. Ross, Araceli Guzman-Rico, Jesus Castanos-Chima Run time: 90 minutes Release date: August 4, 2006 Rating: R for language, some sexual content and drug use. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Quinceanera'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

The title refers to the Hispanic tradition of honoring a female child as she turns 15, a milestone with both religious significance and a secular party. Naturally, it is the latter that is of more interest to 14-year-old Magdalena (a radiant Emily Rios), who enviously observes the festivities for her wealthier cousin Eileen, complete with a rented Hummer limo.

Even Magdalena's modest party plans are disrupted when she becomes pregnant, despite her protests that she and her boyfriend have not had sex. Meanwhile, her cousin Carlos becomes an outcast, too, when he is caught surfing gay Web sites, then is drawn into the world of his family's gay white landlords.

Quinceañera comes dangerously close to soap opera, but is saved by the very human script and the understated approach of the writer-director team of Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. It works because of their window into a very specific world and the way they bridge some universal emotions.