The film begins with Selena's father, Abraham, played by Edward James Olmos, and the struggle his Mexican-American group, Los Dinos, faced in the 1950s. The group had minor success but eventually disbanded in 1960. Abraham went on to focus on his family but seems never to have let go of achieving stardom.
Fast forward to the 1980s: after hearing his daughter, Selena, sing, Abraham did what a very musically-driven father might do—force the kids to be in a family band! Thus, the group Selena y Los Dinos (Selena and "the Guys") formed. Selena sang lead vocals, her sister Suzette provided percussion, and her brother A.B. played guitar—and wrote Selena's major hits in later years.
The group went on to land record deals, achieve a Tejano award, and eventually, Selena would win her Grammy in 1994 for Best Mexican-American Album, marking her as the first-ever female Tejano singer to win in that category.
The film Selena realistically depicts how working with one's family can have its struggles, but is also rewarding for the family and the overall community. Selena and the Quintanilla brought Tejano music into the mainstream American music industry.