LatinaLista — Father-absent homes is a growing issue, especially in families of color. In 1960, only 11 percent of children lived in father-absent homes. Today it’s 33 percent of the children in America in father-absent homes. Among families of color, the statistics are even worse — Nearly 2 in 3 (64%) African American children live in father-absent homes; One in three (34%) Hispanic children, and 1 in 4 (25%) white children live in father-absent homes.
A new film titled Sin Padre tackles this hard issue that exists within too many Latino families and touches on a reality rarely discussed in popular media.
Sin Padre is about Juan, a 17 year old Honduran, just trying to get by in the Mission District of San Francisco.
While Juan is street-smart, he struggles in school. It becomes even more difficult when he is given an assignment to write about where he comes from. The other students embrace the assignment, but Juan is reminded of a deep pain in his life: he never knew who his father was.Juan’s mother Maria had him when she was fourteen years old. He always loved and respected Maria for raising him, but never truly understood her reluctance to tell him the truth. Juan clings to a single picture of Maria cradling him as an infant and an unidentified man. Could this man be his father?
In truth, Maria is afraid to tell Juan who his father is. The secret has ruined Maria’s relationship with her own parents and the neighborhood whispers nasty rumors behind her back. But Maria continues to keep the secret despite the pain, fearful that telling Juan the truth may destroy the one person she loves most…her son.
Juan uses his assignment to explore who his father may possibly be. As Juan continues to
push for the truth, it leads him down a path he never expected.
The film is scheduled for a 2012 release.
