The moon shines bright in the night sky, a silent witness to the aching distance between a mother and her son. In the movie Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), the director Patricia Riggen tells the story not just of borders, but of love stretched across miles. 

Carlitos at just nine years old, carries the weight of longing. A child, played by the amazing actor Adrián Alonso, has learned to be patient, to listen to his mother’s voice through a crackling phone line, to find comfort in knowing that somewhere very far away from him, she is looking at the same moon he sees above him. But his patience dies down. His heart forces him to set off on a journey across the borders of uncertainty, a journey towards the woman who left him behind to build a better future for both of them. 

What makes Under the Same Moon more than just a story of immigration is the way it shares the language of love and longing. The script does not drown in sorrow—it keeps a positive energy through humor, hope, and the courageous spirit of a small boy who refuses to

stop until he finds his mother on the other side. Carlos’s journey creates a story, from every encounter with kind strangers to cruel obstacles, adding another brushstroke to his personal canvas. 

The film’s cinematography is a thing of aching beauty. The golden hues of Mexico contrast with the cool dullness of the U.S., the warmth of home against the emptiness of exile. The moon becomes more than just a celestial body—it becomes a symbol of a thread tying a mother and a son together, reminding the viewers that love, though stretched thin, does not break. 

Rosario, delivered by Kate del Castillo, is both fierce and fragile; as a mother, she is stuck between duty and devotion. Carlitos, though seemingly calm on the outside, carries the inner eagerness and weight of every child who has ever longed for a parent's arms. This story is not just theirs; it belongs to so many other families, but every step taken, every challenge faced, and every tear cried paints their unique story. And in the end, when both the mother and the son finally stand in the same patch of dirt, under the same sky, and under the same moon, the moment does not need words. It simply is. 

Under the Same Moon is not just a film—it is a story lived, a testament to love that endures, a persistent dream, and an unbreakable bond that holds us together, no matter the distance.

March 2025