Under the Same Moon

Just have to follow
by Sandra Staas (Tue Jul 20, 2010)

I often find myself following people. When I'm in a supermarket and I hear people speaking in Spanish I ‘surreptitiously' slide over behind them. They could be on another aisle and I still follow them. On occasion I have even been known to accidentally on purpose drop something so that they will turn round and we can strike up a conversation.

Why do I do this? Am I a secret Immigration Officer?

No. I want to speak in Spanish, that's all. I've always told my students that they need to practice their Spanish at every opportunity. And, constantly wanting to improve my Spanish, I follow my own advice, even if it means I have to pursue people and spy on their conversations. Hence the guerrilla warfare on my part. I then give these unsuspecting souls a huge ‘Hola' and engage them in long chatty conversations.

I've met lots of people from different Latin American countries this way, none of whom is in the United States illegally. I've read about the problem of illegal immigration from Latin America in newspaper articles, and learnt about it on television. But, I have no concept of what it must be like to be an illegal immigrant.

The movie, ‘Under the Same Moon' has changed that. It draws you in and gets you involved in the characters' lives. You begin to understand the reasons why people cross over into the United States illegally.

The main character, Carlitos, is nine years old and lives with his grannie in Mexico. His mother, Rosario, lives far away in Los Angeles where she works as a maid to wealthy people. She's illegal and is in the United States to earn a living. She saves as much as she can of her salary and sends the money home to Mexico for her son.

Carlitos is cute and a really good actor who endears himself to the viewer. He isn't the stereotypical illegal immigrant (usually portrayed as being a drug trafficker or arms dealer). He's just a little boy who wants his mummy. His mother is simply an ordinary person following so many others who also have tried to improve their lives.

They're a bit like me, following others in order to improve my Spanish. In fact, Carlitos reminds me of the people I follow in the supermarket. Neither he nor his mother is a bad or evil person. They are innocent.

One awful day, his grannie dies and Carlitos finds himself all alone. He decides to go to the United States to look for his mother. Using his wit and resourcefulness he finds a couple who agree to hide him in their vehicle as they travel over the border.

The love between mother and child is universal and the film helps us comprehend the motivation that pushes both the young boy and his mother into the murky waters of becoming illegal immigrants.

Carlitos encounters many adventures on his journey. He even has to escape from the Immigration officials who find him sleeping on a park bench. When he succeeds in eluding the officials, you want to cheer.

At times, you just want to step into the film and take Carlitos's hand, to help him in his quest. But wouldn't that make us criminals? Isn't it against the law to aid and abet illegal immigrants?

How easy indeed it can be to break the law.

‘Under the Same Moon' is such a very clever film. It deals with the tricky and sensitive issue of illegal immigration in a poignant and compassionate way. And we're left with a deeper understanding of what motivates people to put themselves in jeopardy as they sneak across the border.