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Selena (1997)
(aka: Selena)

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The singer:

  • Most of her songs but "La Llamada", "I Could Fall in Love", and "No Me Queda Mas".
  • Most of Dreaming of You is depressing, considering it was her last work before her passing, and was released posthumously.
  • Kumba King's tribute to Selena in their take on "Baila Esta Cumbia", which ends with a heartwarming message from A.B. to his deceased sister. Made even sadder by the fact that the video features the group and a drawn Selena singing with them.
  • "Siempre Hace Frio" is a beautifully sung song about heartbreak.

The film:

  • The family restaurant having to close down due to bankruptcy and having to move out on the road. Just watching little Selena sadly looking at her family’s home for the last time sells it.
  • In one deleted scene, Selena gets bullied by a couple of kids, who even go as far as to taunt her in Spanish because they know she doesn’t understand what they’re saying. Selena is later shown tearfully revealing this incident to her older sister, who then gives her a hug.
  • Abraham’s extreme anger over discovering Selena and Chris being in love, so he fires the latter and forbids his daughter from going after himself. If that’s not bad enough, Abraham threatens to end the band for good if Selena doesn’t follow in his wishes, which leads to…
  • Selena sneaking out to meet Chris again and implores the two of them to get married. While Chris does indeed love her, he’s worried if they should go ahead without having a traditional wedding, like celebrating with family or wearing a beautiful dress and such things. Selena admits she would love nothing more than that, but knows her father will have his way and would never give his approval unless she and Chris went ahead with eloping. While it’s certainly reckless, Selena loves Chris too much to miss out on spending the rest of her life without him as her One True Love.
  • Selena returning to her family's home after a radio reveals she and Chris eloped. Abraham tells her he's glad she did what she did, and tearfully admits he doesn't know how to let her go.
  • While discussing their future, Selena talks to Chris about wanting to have a farm with a lot of animals, a dream she longed for ever since she was a kid, before expressing her wish to have at least five children. Given that Selena is doomed to die young, we all know such a dream will never come into fruition.
  • Selena revealing to her mother that she and Chris are trying to start a family of their own, to which the former sheds Tears of Joy. A short while later, Selena is later seen resting her head onto her mother’s lap.
  • Selena's death scene, made even more heartbreaking by "Dreaming of You" (the last song she sang) being played over her family and fans mourning. She was (and still is) a beloved Latina icon, and her death at 23 years old saddened many people.
    • Just seeing her family’s reaction to a doctor revealing she didn’t make it is utterly heartbreaking. We see her mother crying onto Abraham’s chest, Chris breaking down and leaning on a wall before Suzette hugs him, and A.B sitting down as he buries his hands onto his face as he cries his eyes out.

Alternative Title(s): Selena

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