Under the Same Moon

Director Patricia Riggen has created a sweet, heartwarming film about a mother and a son with the issue of immigration in the background.

Nine year old Carlitos (Adrian Alonso) lives with his grandmother in Mexico. His mother Rosario (Kate del Castillo) lives in Los Angeles and works in several jobs as a maid. You see, Rosario is an illegal immigrant. She send money home and works in the US so that Carlitos has a better life. But she hasn't seen him for four years.

After his grandma dies Carlitos decides to got to LA to see his mother. But his journey isn't an easy one. It is filled with a number of obstacles. Along the way he meets several people who help him in his plight. Most notable is another illegal named Enrique (Eugenio Derbez).

The film is very well acted. But it doesn't delve deep enough into the problem of illegal immigration. Ken Loach's Bread and Roses does a better job of this. However, we still see the problems of that these poor folks face. On one hand, we can't just let everyone into the US without there being some kind of documentation.
But you really have to feel sorry for these people because all they want is a better life. On the other hand, why aren't their countries giving them better lives? I wonder what the answer to that question might be. This certainly is a very tough issue. And when people come to this country it doesn't mean that their lives will be that much better either. They can be treated like dirt but they can't complain to anyone.

Another note - I recently saw another film involving a mother and child theme (of sorts). It is a Brazilian film entitled The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (nothing to do about immigration). And while Moon is a good film Vacation is a better one.