Under the Same Moon (Spanish: La misma luna) is a 2007 drama film directed by Patricia Riggen (in her feature film directorial debut), written by Ligiah Villalobos, and starring Kate del Castillo, Adrián Alonso, and Eugenio Derbez.
| Under the Same Moon | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Patricia Riggen |
| Written by | Ligiah Villalobos |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Checco Varese |
| Edited by | Aleshka Ferrero |
| Music by | Carlo Siliotto |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Languages |
|
| Budget | $1.7 million[1] |
| Box office | $23.3 million |
Plot
editRosario, a single mother, illegally crossed the US-Mexico border to Los Angeles, leaving behind her young son, Carlitos, in his Mexican hometown with his ailing grandmother. As a part of their weekly calls, Rosario describes the area around the payphone to Carlitos in detail. On his ninth birthday, after his grandmother unexpectedly dies in her sleep, Carlitos learns that his aunt and uncle are trying to take custody of him for his mother’s remittances.
Determined to reunite with his mother, Carlitos pays coyotes to help him cross through El Paso–Juárez into Mexico. However, the coyotes' car is towed by police for unrelated offenses. Carlitos exits the vehicle in a lot in El Paso, Texas, unwittingly dropping his money. Unable to buy a bus ticket alone, Carlitos asks a man if he could buy him a ticket. Realizing he has lost his money, Carlitos offers the man $100 to drive him to the impound lot, but upon arriving, Carlitos can't find the money. In desperation, the man tries to sell Carlitos to a pimp, but a local woman intervenes, taking Carlitos in and introducing him to life with other undocumented immigrants. After a police raid on the place where he works, Carlitos escapes with Enrique, who initially wants nothing to do with him. The two eventually end up hitchhiking to the city limits of Tucson, Arizona. An angered Enrique yells at Carlitos for following him and tells the boy to go. Carlitos begins to walk on his own, but seeing that some men are about to jump Carlitos to try and steal his backpack, Enrique decides to save Carlitos. Carlitos manages to gain employment for both Enrique and himself at a restaurant. Carlitos looks up his absent father, Oscar Aguilar Pons, and with Enrique's help, they meet. Oscar promises to help but ultimately abandons Carlitos, leaving Carlitos disappointed. Enrique decides to take Carlitos to Los Angeles. The two take a bus ride and reach LA. Meanwhile, Rosario faces her own struggles in Los Angeles. After losing her job as a housekeeper due to immigration issues, she becomes desperate to support herself and find Carlitos.
Following an address, Carlitos and Enrique arrive in East LA, only to find a PO box. Carlitos and Enrique decide to search the city for the payphone his mother calls from. After a day of unsuccessful searching, the two rest on a bench (while unknowingly walking right past her).
Then, Doña Carmen calls Rosario, letting her know that Carlitos crossed the border and that her mother is dead. Rosario marries a U.S. citizen for a green card, and she makes plans to go back to Mexico to search for Carlitos. When boarding the bus, she sees a little boy at a payphone out the window of the bus at the bus station, and she realizes that Carlitos does know where to find her.
In the morning, Enrique and Carlitos get surprised by a pair of police officers, and Enrique, noticing that Carlitos is about to be apprehended, throws his coffee at the cops to distract them. Enrique shouts to Carlitos to run away, which he is able to do, but Enrique is arrested, sacrificing his freedom.
Carlitos finally finds the payphone and Rosario. They see each other across the street. Rosario yells to her son not to cross yet. The crosswalk light turns from the "red hand" light to the “white figure walking" light.
Cast
edit- Kate del Castillo as Rosario Reyes
- Adrián Alonso as Carlos Reyes
- Eugenio Derbez as Enrique
- Maya Zapata as Alicia
- Carmen Salinas as Doña Carmen
- María Rojo as Reyna
- Mario Almada as Padrino
- America Ferrera as Martha
- Los Tigres del Norte as themselves
- Angelina Peláez as Benita Reyes
- Gabriel Porras as Paco
- Jesse Garcia as David
- Ignacio Guadalupe as Leonardo Sánchez Nava
- Pailo Heitz as Billy
- Ernesto D'Alessio as Oscar Ponce
- Isaac Bravo as Chito
- Gustavo Sánchez Parra as Manuel
- Catalina López as Josefina
- Yvette Mercedes as Agent Patrulla Fronteriza
- Jacqueline Voltaire as Mrs. McKenzie
- Darwyn Roanhorse as motel owner
- Sonya Smith as Mrs. Snyder
- Jorge Rojas as Mr. Snyder
Themes
editDetermination
editIn Under the Same Moon, Riggen helps to show the power of determination. The character of Rosario displays many underlying feminist themes, since she is fighting for success for her family almost completely by herself. In Los Angeles, she experiences difficulties with finding work but keeps persevering so that she can see Carlos again. Additionally, the theme of determination can be seen in the way that Rosario is determined to find true love. When Paco proposes, she initially does not comply because she is determined to save her marriage for someone she is truly in love with.
Carlos also is determined to reunite with his mother again, which essentially drives the entire plot of the film. He faces many challenges on his journey, yet continues the journey because his sight is set on Los Angeles and his mother.
Love
editThe theme of love is a central theme of the film as well. There is a sense of universal love in the sense that complete strangers, such as Enrique, sacrifice themselves for the love of others. Additionally, the closing scene of the reunion shows how the power of love is what led to the reunion of Rosario and Carlos. Riggen shows the challenges that immigration brings about, yet how love can overcome borders. In the end, love makes people move mountains.
Reception
editThe film received generally favorable reviews from critics, getting a 73% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "If Under the Same Moon is often manipulative, it is also heartfelt, and features strong performances from its leads."[2] On Metacritic, 24 critics gave the film 59/100, meaning "mixed or average" reviews.[3]
Critics have called it a “warm drama that humanizes America's current illegal immigration debate even as it sentimentally stacks the deck in favor of the undocumented”.[4] Some critics have said the film relies heavily on sentiment, and therefore it “blunts the hard edges of immigration with a thick coating of preciousness”.[5] Notably, the film received a standing ovation at Sundance.[4]
Home media
editUnder the Same Moon was released on DVD June 17, 2008, in the United States.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "Interview with Patricia Riggen, director/co-writer of Under the Same Moon". nycmovieguru.com. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
- ^ "Under the Same Moon (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Under the Same Moon (La misma luna)". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ a b Under the Same Moon, retrieved 2016-12-01
- ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (2008-03-19). "Under the Same Moon - Movie - Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-12-01.