Controversial New Moon has Two Faces—One Light, One Dark

La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon), directed by Columbia University School of Arts alumna Patricia Riggen, is proof that we all may share the same moon, but that is where the similarities end. The film, which opened March 19, is both a heartwarming story about a mother-child bond and a strongly articulated stance on illegal immigrants from Mexico. Because of this duality, the production creates two different sets of expectations and has gathered a wide range of reviews, from raves to pans.

Riggen’s first feature film recounts the journey of nine-year-old Carlitos (Adrián Alonso), as he tries to reunite with his mother in Los Angeles. The mother, Rosario (Kate Del Castillo), crossed the U.S.-Mexico border four years ago in order to prepare a better future for her son, whom she leaves to be raised by his grandma. As the older woman unexpectedly passes away one night, the boy, extremely cute and savvy beyond his age, hops into the trunk of a van belonging to a couple of Mexican-American students (Jesse Garcia and Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera), and soon enough he finds himself in the United States. Even though Carlitos—completely alone in a foreign country—loses all of his money and almost falls prey to an addict willing to trade him for a drug fix, none of these trials or tribulations ever cause the audience to doubt that the ending will be typically Hollywood.

That’s not to say that the film, despite its blatant predictability, is hopelessly boring. Quite the contrary—it’s an engaging picture, abounding in both laugh-out-loud, lighthearted moments and tense dramatic sequences. La Misma Luna is also skillfully underlined by a great score and beautifully shots by Riggen—although the moon, a symbol of the unbreakable bond between mother and child, is at times too big and too bright.

In terms of narrative, the film is well-executed, but not extraordinary. The catch lies in the fact that it supposedly aspired to be more than that. La Misma Luna premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation, perhaps more signifying approval of its political message than praising its cinematic qualities. Not accidentally, all the gringos in the film are ruthless policemen and border patrol officers or snotty, wealthy L.A. housewives. Figuratively, they’re nothing more than obstacles Carlitos must make his way around.

La Misma Luna is deeply political and heavily geared toward Hispanic audiences. It grossly oversimplifies the immigration issue, only concentrating on the way that the current system causes pain to numerous immigrants and their often left-behind families. Not a flaw per se, its political overtones have heavily influenced the film’s reception, despite the director’s intention for it to be a universal story about love overcoming all difficulties. The end result is a curious hybrid between a mainstream crowd-pleaser and an opinionated work of independent cinema which will be loved by some and shunned by others.