In his energetic Brechtian musical, Luis Valdez makes no pretense to realism-Zoot Suit has three alternate endings-but his film is one of the truest ever made in its reflection of Chicano sensibilities. Valdez weaves a setting around Chicano myths and stereotypes-for men, the zoot-suited Pachuco and the '38 Chevy; for women, the flowery, full-skirted, greeting-card romance and the '38 Chevy; for both, la familia. (Edward James Olmos' El Pachuco is the sinister hero, alter ego and apotheosis of cool for every Chicano kid in L.A.) Then there is the reality-based plot, set in the summer of '42 when wartime jingoism was at its height, and a murder at Sleepy Lagoon brought on the arrest of 600 Pachucos, the trial of 22 and life sentences for 12. Among the latter is Henry Reyna whose story is chronicled by Valdez from a distance: no more tears, it's time to analyze.