Everything Comes From The Streets (2014) is a documentary by filmmaker and USD Ethnic Studies professor Alberto López Pulido about the lowrider car culture in San Diego, in particular the neighborhood that surrounds the iconic Chicano Park. In this documentary Alberto explores the history/herstory of lowrider customized car culture here in the states and its cultural, social, economic, and political significance to the Latino community. Everything Comes From The Streets shows us that as much as the status quo tries to paint Latino Americans as the other, this community is very much intertwined with this nation’s history and culture. To ignore this fact is to miss a huge piece of the multi-ethnic puzzle that makes up the states.
Alberto’s documentary also illuminates women who ride lowriders and who’ve formed their own car clubs, a phenomenon not often talked about (there is another documentary on this called The Unique Ladies). In a male dominated sub culture, these women hold their own with the care, attention to detail, time and money spent maintaining their stunning lowriders.
Lowriders are often thought of as moving art, depicting the driver’s self-expression on the exterior as well as the interior of the machine. For a community that may not have access to traditional gallery space, the lowrider becomes a canvas of self-expression. The automobile is a symbol of American individualism and freedom; the beautifully self-expressive, customized lowriders are undeniably a part of the broader American car culture.
Everything Comes From The Streets (2014) – Full Documentary – PBS Stream
