‘Under the Same Moon:’ The Power of Familismo through Serious Obstacles

“Under the Same Moon,” directed by Patricia Riggen was originally screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and later, released in theaters in 2008.

The drama is set in Mexico and Los Angeles, Calif. and highlights the unbreakable bond between a mother and son living in different countries. Adrian Alonso plays Carlitos Reyes, Rosario Reyes’ (Kate del Castillo) son. Although Carlitos and Rosario are apart from each other they always remember that they will always be looking at the same moon.

Despite the immense love the Latino community holds for this film Jeannette Catsoulis criticized the film for “blunting the sharp edges” of immigration. Contrary to Catsoulis’s critique, it is truly impeccable to see Carlitos beat all odds to reunite with his mother who works as a housekeeper in the U.S. The “latinidad” portrayed through the characters makes them relatable beyond Mexicans, because many Latinos have experience family separation. The stories shown are the real stories our community can relate to. Ariana Figueroa shines a light on the emphasis of the immigrant experience through the hardships and even gains.

An interesting take on the film is who is considered Latino enough. America Ferrera and Jesse Garcia play college students who are Chicanos, and their Spanish is not the best. Doña Carmen, who is called “la coyota,” was played by the beloved late actress Carmen Salinas. She insults them saying “damn Chicanos, can’t even speak their own language.” The term coyote refers to individuals who aid in the illegal transportation of undocumented immigrants.

The representation of Mexican-Americans is that they are ignorant of their mother tongue and are “no sabos” a term used for the children of Latinos who don’t know Spanish. There is a misconception that Latinos who do not speak Spanish are whitewashed and think they have a higher status because they are more “Americanized.” Doña Carmen had no time to listen to their offerings and assumed they thought they were better than Mexicans because they were born on “the other side.”

What many fail to understand is the prejudice against knowing Spanish. According to Suzanne Oboler, professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, “earning English is perceived as a ticket of entry into U.S. society. And this access in turn is perceived primarily in terms of material advancement.”

Professor Kristin Moran describes familismo as a core cultural value where individuals submit to the family unit. In the perspective of “Under the Same Moon,” familismo is not a negative thing. During their weekly phone call, Carlitos insists that if he can’t go to his mom then she should go back to him in Mexico. Many parents make unthinkable sacrifices for their children in this case, Rosario crossed the border by swimming.

Carlitos’s grandmother Benita, played by Angelina Peláez, is the main caregiver. As far as Latino family dynamics go, grandmas have undying love for their grandchildren. Carlitos cries in Benita’s arms about not wanting to be separated from her and she replies with, “I’d kill them first.” That characterizes how much Benita adores for her grandson.

Movie critic James Berardinelli mentions that political issues (immigration) fade and the movie focuses on familial bonds. The artistic focus on the reunion of mother and son from director Riggen does finaly satisfy an audience hoping to see these lovable characters meet their ultimate goal.

Rosario has a strong sense of familismo and she doesn’t get sidetracked by others because the most important person in her life is Carlitos. She is not portrayed as a spicy Latina full of greed in using a man’s legal status for her benefit. She truly only wanted to marry if it was for love and not for an easy way to gain citizenship.

The film also suggests that, as demonstrated through the actions of kind strangers, familismo can extend beyond the immediate family related by blood, according to an online critique by Ariana Figueroa. Carlitos encounters a woman who takes immigrants like him under her wing. One immigrant in the household also looks out for Carlitos, his paisanito. Carlitos tags along with the men as they go to work picking tomatoes. He witnessed his first ICE raid where officers beat men with batons and dragged them mercilessly. It is an unfortunate sight for a child to see but luckily for him, Carlitos was able to go undetected.

Eugenio Derbez plays Enrique, an immigrant who also successfully hid from la migra during the raid. In an attempt to abandon the boy, he hitches a ride with none other than Los Tigres del Norte, a very popular Mexican. Due to his hyper-masculinity, Enrique did not want anything to do with Carlitos. This relates to a phrase by the late notable poet and politician Octavio Paz, “[when] a man opens up and shows emotion or weakness, he becomes less of a man.”

There is a scene where Enrique and Carlitos work as dishwashers. During this moment we witness Enrique’s development which is refreshing to see because it shows he is not the typical negative, machista Latino male character. He is harsh on him, but endearing; his form of expressing care differs from all the other characters who baby Carlitos. He was a sour man who sarcastically said he did not want to be deported all thanks to a little boy. However, Enrique does ends up getting detained so Carlitos can reunite with his mom.

After nearly a week of surviving all sorts of obstacles in the United States, Carlitos acknowledges what his mother has gone through all these years. He mentions to Enrique that he was beginning to believe that his mother did not love him, but he realized he was wrong. Enrique helped Carlitos not lose hope in his mother’s sacrifices in the U.S. because they were for a chance at a better life.

Just as some critics have said, familismo, immigration, conflict, and death are strong themes in “Under the Same Moon,” a feel-good movie that is also a tearjerker for the audience.

This commentary is part of the “Latinos in the Eyes of the Media” special series. In this section, Noticiero Móvil publishes pieces by UNR students that dive into films and television shows in which Latino characters, culture and norms are portrayed. The goal is to explore and illuminate how a lack of Latino representation in the media continues to promote some of the discriminatory and stereotypical practices that affect Latinos to this day in the U.S.