Flamin' Hot

The main character is Mexican American. He is the subject of racism, bullying at school (he's called a "beaner"), and abuse and mistreatment by police in the 1960s and 1970s. "When the world treats you like a criminal, you become one," he says to preface his involvement in a gang, dealing drugs, and stealing a car. He says he has a "PhD" because he's "poor, hungry, and determined." He and his wife are insulted by a White woman when they apply for federal food assistance, and his son is beat up and yelled at by White people. He recalls Black and brown kids being treated differently by teachers at school when he was younger, and this motivates him as an adult to reach for what he wants. He tells his son that their heritage is a "superpower." Another character is overlooked for promotions because he's Black, despite being the best at his job. White people are generally depicted as racist or ignorant bullies, intent on holding onto their privilege.

A Mexican American boy is arrested for having money on unwarranted suspicion he stole it. Archive footage shows police beating up protesting Latinos. An alcoholic father picks on his son and pushes him around. Kids are bullied at school and on the streets, and one comes home with a black eye. Men are involved in a tough-looking gang. A man imagines beating up a White man at work.

A couple kisses frequently. A woman gets pregnant. Someone says a person could "sell condoms to a nun."

"S--t," "ass," "damn," "hell," "crap," "pissed," "pr--k," "ballin'," "wetback," "beaner," "hoodlum," "punk," "idiot," "fool," "stupid," "dummy," "dang," "heck," and some Spanish slang and insults that go untranslated.

Adults drink alcohol and deal drugs. A scene shows them divvying up pills and putting them in bags. The main character's father was an abusive alcoholic who eventually got sober with the help of God -- he "traded gin and juice for Jesus juice."