Directed by Patricia Riggen
Starring Adrian Alonso and Kate del Castillo
Review by Laura Hawbaker
An alarm clock beeps. Sleepy eyed, a young mother slaps the clock off and tumbles out of bed. Her nine-year old son does the same. While the mother heats up a Poptart, the son boils water and then slips on his brand new, light-up sneakers in preparation for the school day.
It’s a scene of Americana; it could be happening in any suburban home with a white picket fence and a golden retriever. What makes this particular scene different is the hot pepper the mother puts on her Poptart, or the radio program that plays when her alarm goes off at 4:00 AM. “Wake up workers! Time to work!” announces the Spanish-speaking DJ. What makes this scene different is that the mother is an undocumented worker in Los Angeles, and her son is still in Mexico.
The film is “La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon),” which broke records two weeks ago when it opened in a sparse 266 theaters and made over $2.6 million (perhaps it reached out to an otherwise untapped audience). Directed by Patricia Riggen, the film tells the parallel journeys of Carlitos (Adrian Alonso) and his mother, Rosario (Kate del Castillo). For four years, several thousand miles, a border fence, and staunch immigration laws have separated the two. But they remain close due to their weekly, scheduled phone calls: Carlitos waiting by a phone booth in Mexico, Rosario calling from one in Los Angeles.
When tragedy strikes, Carlitos must embark on a dangerous journey across the border to be reunited with his mother. His trek is a Greek odyssey; he encounters perilous blockades and helpful strangers (among them, America Ferrera from “Ugly Betty,” as a chicana with shady motivations). Carlito faces down the border guard and the INS, as well as thieves, drug addicts and child molesters. Meanwhile, Rosario must live in a garage, performs odd jobs for wealthy employers who refuse to pay her, gets ripped off by crooked lawyers, and toys with the idea of marriage for legal status. Through these two characters, we learn all of the dangers undocumented workers face when trying to make a life in America.
The playful direction by Patricia Riggen lightens what could easily have been a heavy-handed political film. Musical interludes (most notably, “Superman Es Illegal (Superman is an Illegal)”) break up the acts. Also of note is the performance by the gifted Adrian Alonso, who brings resourcefulness, innocence, and courage to young Carlitos. We are rooting for him as if he were our own child. We celebrate his bravery with our stomach in our throats as he makes his perilous journey into America, alone.
Enrique (Eugenio Derbez) one of the many companions Carlitos meets along his journey, best vocalizes the heart of La Misma Luna, “Picking tomatoes, hiding from the INS, washing dishes for a place to sleep… nobody lives like this unless they’ve got a good reason,” The film is a visual voice for the thousands of undocumented workers who live silently in the U.S., and perhaps will serve as a bridge to tolerance of their plight.
