A young boy travels across the border in search of his birth mother in the Mexican film, UNDER THE SAME MOON. Carlitos, a nine-year old Mexican boy, lives with his elderly grandmother and dreams of someday reuniting with his mother Rosario, who is residing in the United States. Rosario sends money weekly to support Carlitos, and calls him every Sunday morning, but the distance is still much more than either mother or son can handle. After Carlitos’s grandmother passes away in her sleep, the young boy sets out on a journey across the Mexico-United States border in search of his mother, a Los Angeles, California resident.
An intimate emotional tale is wrapped around the controversial issue of illegal immigration in UNDER THE SAME MOON. The Mexican made picture isn’t balanced in its view on the hotbed issue, but it is a seemingly fair and honest portrayal of what hundreds, if not thousands of Mexicans strive for in an attempt to better the lives of themselves and their families. Politics aside, UNDER THE SAME MOON is an easy film to embrace with a storyline centered on the reunion of a loving mother and ambitious son. When analyzing the steps young Carlitos must make to find his mother, the script sounds contrived, but director Patricia Riggen allows time for the events to unfold in a realistic manner. Riggen’s careful touch is aided by two terrific central performances from young Adrian Alonso, and Kate del Castillo. Alonso’s Carlitos is a cute kid, but he doesn’t play the role as such, instead focusing on the drive, determination and passion of reuniting with his mother. Del Castillo is equally effective, conveying an adult torn by the distance between her youngster and the benefits she can provide her son by earning a living thousands of miles away. UNDER THE SAME MOON presents this tale of perseverance effectively around the argumentative issue of illegal immigration, and punctuates it with a clever and riveting final shot.
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