Ninety Minutes Later

Ramon Menendez’s 1988 biographical film Stand and Deliver, based on the story of a mathematics teacher who inspires his class of Latino students to defy expectations and excel, would feature an Oscar-nominated performance from its lead, Edward James Olmos, and a breakout performance from Vanessa Marquez as Ana Delgado. Cynthia Gates Fujikawa’s documentary Ninety Minutes Later showcases the rise and rise, the abhorrently tragic fate of that bright star that faded far too soon.

After the powerful Hollywood spotlight gave its glistening approval, splashing its luminous magnificence over the personage of Vanessa Marguez post Stand and Deliver, the sky was the limit. At three, she declared to her mother she would become an actress, and that’s exactly what she did. Throwing everything into her art, Marques became one of those Latinos in the industry who found work despite being part of a minority in the industry.

After several years and an assortment of roles, from major shows to independent and studio films, Marguez would eventually land the role that would take her to new heights of stardom when she landed the part of nurse Wendy Goldman on ER. The recurring role would continue through the shows first three seasons, during which Marguez would share the screen with the likes of Anthony Edwards, Noah Wyle, Eriq La Salle and future Oscar-winner George Clooney, whom Marquez who later accuse of on-set harassment as part of the #MeToo movement, coupled with the assertion that Clooney was part of a conspiracy to have her “blacklisted” after she reported her harassment claims to executives.

“…the rise and rise, the abhorrently tragic fate of that bright star that faded far too soon…”

But apart from the true Hollywood story that was the life of Vanessa Marguez, what the filmmaker and her remaining Stand and Deliver brothers and sisters have fought to bring to light, is the almost unedited body cam footage, which bookends the story, and shows the world the harrowing and horrifying demise of a vivacious performer who was merely a façade for a broken individual plagued by bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia and agoraphobia.

Vanessa’s co-stars bravely unearth their memories and pain surrounding the life and demise of their friend and peer. Adding insult to injury, as the filmmakers and participants fight to bring the truth of Vanessa’s death to light, so too do they attempt to include Vanessa in the Academy Awards’ In Memoriam segment.

As gripping as Marguez’s personal tale may be, there is nothing more confronting or engrossing than Vanessa’s tragic final moments, which show a brutal response inflicted on a harmless and physically helpless human being who, trying to maintain her independence, pulled a plastic BB gun. The footage is magnetic, as it is damning. How a wellness check ended with guns blazing should never have happened.

Fujikawa’s Ninety Minutes Later is more than one of those gone-too-soon sad songs of sorrow. There’s heavy, heart-wrenching stuff, sure, but it’s mixed well with feelings and orations of messages of triumph and resilience, both from the remembrances of her co-stars, but also on the hearts and tongues of the next generation of young Latino actors. The same fire that lived in Vanessa Marguez dwells within them now. This same muscle and heart have brought the truth of who Vanessa Marguez was, and the terrible conclusion she came to into the world to inspire and inform. A powerful statement. A powerful film.