La Misma Luna4/22/08 - Hola damas y caballeros! I just saw the movie, La Misma Luna, (or as it is called in U.S. theaters, Under the Same Moon) which is about immigration. To quickly summarize, nine-year old Carlitos crosses the Mexican border in search of his mother in Los Angeles after his grandmother dies. Carloitos mother, Rosario, traveled to California in search for a better her life for her son, but four years later she is still far from bringing Carlitos to the America.

 

Pues, when I saw this movie, I lost it. I was bawling and cursing myself for wearing so much eyeliner (yes, I am one of those chicas, who wears a bunch of black eyeliner). True, not everyone will love this movie, but it is a great movie, en mi opinión. Yes, it is the classic immigration story, but it is a story that is still very real. La Misma Luna hits a certain group of Latinos like very few movies do. The music is the same music from our (people living in the southwest part of the U.S.) pasts, and the Latino relationships were so real. When I saw the Carlitos’ abuela, I saw my abuela. When I saw the relationship between the boy and his mother, I saw my relationship between my mama and I.

 

I wish every single person who thinks of immigrants as criminals, or people who need to be deported, would see this movie. Immigration is a tough issue and there is no clear right answer, but one thing is for sure, immigrants never want to leave their home. They do it because the need to survive. I am sure when I say all this, I am preaching the choir, no? But hey, we still need to support this movie. It is a Mexican movie (with actual Mexican actors) and Hollywood needs to feel our presence in this country. This movie represents us in a positive manner and we should hope that more Latino movies like, La Misma Luna, are yet to come.

 

Melissa Ruiz-Melissa Ruiz

Guest Writer