Once in a Sentimental Moon
Under the Same Moon shows the human side of immigration.
By Brittany Schulman
March 24, 2008
Photo courtesy Fox Searchlight PicturesUnder the Same Moon, a new movie about immigration, has been called predictable by New York Times film critic Jeannette Catsoulis. Predictable, perhaps, because stories of families separated by harsh U.S. immigration policies are all too common. Through the use of standard sentimental plotlines, Under the Same Moon argues that immigration policy today is nothing short of a mess. The solution won’t be an easy one, but the film suggests that surely there is a better way than the current policy, which the film shows leads to heartbreaking separation of mother and son.
The movie, which showed at Sundance last year, is the story of nine-year-old Carlitos Reyes (Adrian Alonso) who lives in Mexico separated from his mother, Rosario (Kate del Castillo), who has been working in Los Angeles for four years. Carlitos lives with his grandmother, but when his abuelita passes away, Carlitos decides that he can no longer wait for his mother to return. What ensues is his week’s journey across the border to reunite with his mother. Meanwhile, Rosario faces crises of her own, wavering between returning to Mexico and marrying a legal Mexican immigrant in America. She too has decided that she cannot be away from her son any longer.
Before Rosario left for the United States, she told her son to always remember they will be looking at the same moon, even if they are separated by geography. Though the storyline is trite—albeit tear-provoking—the film itself somehow avoids falling into the sappy-movie trap. In her directing debut, Patricia Riggen presents an argument on behalf of illegal immigrants by appealing to both the audience’s emotions and intellect, weaving a sentimental tale that still manages to avoid feeling stale.
The movie’s underlying aim is to point out the tragedies of illegal immigration and undoubtedly advocate for a more liberal and humane immigration policy. Although exact numbers are unknown, the Department of Homeland Security estimated (PDF) that undocumented immigrants totaled 11.6 million in 2006. Of those, about 6.6 million are estimated to have come from Mexico.
Riggen uses relationships between the characters to illustrate the humanity that is often forgotten in today’s omnipresent immigration debate. The strength of this humanity is formed subtly in the details of the film, from Rosario’s hopes to be present when Carlitos grows a moustache to her promiscuous best friend who insists she should have fun while she is free from the responsibility of motherhood. Through all this, the movie could have easily become submerged in hackneyed themes, and I admit it is even hard to describe the impact of Carlitos’ and Rosario’s bond without sounding rather cliché. But Riggen ever so slightly does not to cross this line. The plot is realistic enough, and the good and bad balanced enough, that the film feels more like a documentary than it does a Hollywood film.
The film also avoids feeling too preachy because Riggen invokes pointed comedy at opportune moments to add levity to the heavy tone of the movie. For example, a song sung in Spanish questions why Superman is so highly praised when he is actually an illegal immigrant. This film may be about seeing the humanity in immigrants, but it also takes shots at the blatant hypocrisy in the American government. I found myself laughing just as much as I did crying.
Under the Same Moon also appeals to the intellectual arguments to liberalize immigration policies. The movie highlights just a few reasons why illegal immigrants are not always the criminals they are portrayed as. The Immigration and Naturalization Service isn’t exactly reflected in a positive light when its agents invade a farm and beat the workers in order to deport them. The INS agents emerge as the real criminals in the minds of the audience. Or when Rosario’s over demanding boss fires her, the audience cannot help but feel as though it’s the American boss who is the criminal, not Rosario.
Nevertheless, Under the Same Moon is still at its heart a story about the indestructible connections between human beings. It is about the strength of a mother and son’s love—no matter what their immigration status. There is little that can separate families—a point that extends beyond the film and into the issue of illegal immigration. The policy that separates families is a moral question, and not a technical or political one.
Brittany Schulman is an Editorial Intern at Campus Progress.
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Once in a Sentimental Moon
It is more or less a scam movie, but in reality it is an after the fact event that occurs everyday.
The issues America is facing today really have nothing to do with immigration. This has always been an industry issue detached from the American family and community. When industry imports illegal labor it places social and economic burdens on communities on both sides of the border. The NAFTA agreements for example have been the sole cause of the movement or mass illegal migration during the past fifteen years. Whether you wish to address them as multi-national corporations or entities that control the flow of goods, this type of human manipulation for profit is not immigration at all. What is now common short term benefit for the black art of globalism, corporations have absolutely no qualms in exploiting the masses for profit. What industry is doing successfully is intentionally bypassing the social development cycle for that profit. What ever fallout is created by this is of no concern or value to them, its your problem. The review of this movie was cute of course but it really does not represent the true story, one that needs to be addressed.
— Campbell - Mar 24, 02:40 PM - #I am sure the illegal immigrants in America will be relieved to hear that Campbell does not feel their issues are important.
You raise some legitimate issues, Campbell, but you make two big mistakes. First, you make Ms. Schulman’s thoughtful piece into a straw man by pretending she is making a different point than the one she did with elegance and precision. Second, you make the sophomoric error of pontificating in a superior tone without coming up with one specific suggestion or providing one specific supporting fact. You dismiss this column as “cute” — that dismissive insult does not qualify as argument. You are obviously bright and I am sure you can do better. Would you like to try again by either responding to the actual points raised here or explaining your position, including your suggestions for improving the current situation or your example of a movie that makes your point better than this one (which you apparently have not seen)?
— Nell - Mar 25, 02:14 PM - #I will respond to you simply because your rhetoric is common today. The cute article response is of course sarcastic regarding the continuing corruption in Mexico. I don’t have a position as you claim or excuses. What I have seen and continue to see today is the abuse of the Mexican people by both the Mexican government and by the United States government and multi-national corporations. These types of feel good movies will not change the situation, the poverty and the abuse. I really don’t think you care about the Mexican people at all. You sound like another one of those special interest feel sorry for me types. So much for your response.
— Campbell - Mar 25, 06:11 PM - #Campbell, you dishonor the legitimacy of your points with ad hominem insults instead of facts and proposals. And you accuse me of rhetoric! Rhetoric is all you have shown us so far. “So much for your response” is supposed to be an argument? Are you stamping your foot as you type?
Apparently, you have not seen the movie. If you had, you would have seen that it makes a powerful statement about the abuse of immigrants. I would argue that the “feel good” part of the movie is an important part of that statement. Putting a human face on a larger problem has been an effective way to promote change since “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Oliver Twist” up through “Farenheit 911” and “An Inconvenient Truth.”
I made no comment of any kind to dispute the fact that the current treatment of illegal aliens is appalling. Once again you are trying to make yourself look good by accusing someone else of making statements they did not make, always a fatal error in an argument. My criticism was directed at the way you raised the issue, which was far less constructive than the movie you apparently have not seen or this column you apparently did not read.
You want to make a difference? Learn how to make your case in a manner that does it justice. I am still waiting for your proposal — the only recommendation you’ve made so far is not to see the movie, as far as I can tell. What is it exactly that you want to change and what, other than throwing insults around, are you doing to make it happen?
— Nell - Mar 26, 05:18 PM - #Lets see if I can put this as gently as possible.
You are a self serving idiot.
— Campbell - Mar 26, 10:16 PM - #Campbell, Campbell, Campbell. I was sure you were capable of appreciating that insults are not arguments. I was sure you could do better. Apparently not. I am happy to let those who read this exchange come to their own conclusions about who and what is what. And to let you have the last word.
— Nell - Mar 27, 07:29 AM - #This movie is just another pro-illegal propaganda film by a bunch of socialist bleeding heart liberals. It has nothing to do with “Immigration” and everything to do with “Invasion” and romanticizing entering a country illegally. Shame on the filmmakers. Americans are smarter than they think and we don’t fall for this propaganda pap.
— Ruthiness - Mar 29, 01:06 PM - #One more thing… what this movie DOES show is that it is ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION that is separating families – not ICE raids. Bwahahaha
— Ruthiness - Mar 29, 01:12 PM - #Oh and this shows the director’s slant – by the way the director, Patricia Riggen, is MEXICAN.
“While Rosario loses a job (all the film’s Americans are heartless rich snots, depraved drug addicts, or the police)”
From a film critic of the movie.
— Ruthiness - Mar 29, 01:14 PM - #Here ya go.. I thought so!
“Under the Same Moon” is a new, Mexican government-funded movie about illegal immigration from director Patricia Riggen. The distributors are Fox Searchlight Pictures and The Weinstein Company, and the production companies listed are Creando Films (website unknown) and Potomac Pictures (potomacpictures.com). And, per this, the “Financier” is Fidecine, which is the Mexican government agency designed to promote the Mexican film industry: www.comisionrtc.gob….
— Ruthiness - Mar 29, 01:23 PM - #