Jennifer Lopez has defied boxes in her long career. From dreaming of being an entertainer in her Bronx neighborhood to becoming a professional dancer (a Fly girl, having to move from New York to Los Angeles). She started securing soap opera roles, transitioned to movies and polished her craft as an actress. When people told her to stay in her lane she decided to become a singer too.
From “Selena” (1997) to “Out of sight” (1998), Jennifer became the highest paid Latina actress and the first woman to have one movie (“The wedding planner”) and album (“J.Lo”) number one at the same time.
But this is not about Jennifer Lopez’s career highlights, it’s more about her character and her heart.
“This is me… now: A love story” (2024) opens with the ancient Puerto Rican legend of Alida and Taroo, two lovers from feuding tribes. As the drama unfolds, Alida is changed into a beautiful red flower and Taroo into a hummingbird.
We then see a motorcycle going too fast and crashing, an abusive relationship and a feeling of having a broken heart no matter how hard one tries to put it back together.
From just wanting to be in love as an adult, the conclusion of this piece is that reality requires self-love, connecting with our inner child, self-examination, therapy and a long hard look at our decisions. You can still go on believing in love and the surprises that life throws your way.
The accompanying documentary “The greatest love story never told” shows the blood, sweat and tears that went into making the film possible. We see Jennifer in casual clothing, investing 20 million dollars out of her own pocket to finance the project, handling stress to make sure everything is right and fulfilling her artistic vision. It was something Jennifer just had to express.
Now that she has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck it’s easy to attack her relationships or her latest endeavors altogether. But Jennifer Lopez follows her instincts and is a hard worker, I’m sure she will continue to believe that love will one day grace her way. There’s nothing to be ashamed about for trying twice with the same person. At least now she knows she can move on with her life being aware of all she is capable of.
Paula Gouveia