The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea

The Hungry Woman is a re-interpretation of the classical tragedy that incorporates Mesoamerican mythology to explore the struggles of a Lesbian Xicana Medea, exiled from the Chicano homeland she helped to create.

Set in a “muy blade runneresque” version of Phoenix, Arizona where all colored joteria (queers) now live, Medea and her lover Luna try to raise Chac Mool, Medea’s child from her marriage with Jason. Medea’s exile came after Jason found her in bed with Luna. Chac, now thirteen, must face a decision, stay with his mother or go back to Aztlan with his father, who suddenly wants Chac back. Medea meanwhile is facing the demise of her relationship with Luna, largely due to her willingness to do anything to keep her son. Told in multiple time frames, Hungry Woman moves between the time leading up to her decision to kill her son and her subsequent institutionalization after she has committed the murder. Patricia Ybarra directs.