The film, La Luna Misma, depicted the parallels between the lives of the main characters Carlito in Mexico and his mother, Rosario, in the United States. Rosario crosses into the US illegally to try to earn a better living so that she is able to send monetary support home to her son and mother. She also saves to hire a lawyer to become a legal immigrant, hoping someday to be able to bring her son to live with her in the US. Carlito's grandmother has cared for him since his mother's crossing and vows to keep him with her, even when his aunt and uncle attempt to claim him, aware of the money Rosario sends each month to support the boy. The crossing to America was dangerous as depicted by those being captured at the border and I'm sure she felt that her chances of a successful crossing were better alone and she would not want to risk her son's capture since he was 4 years old at the time.
I am sure this was a difficult decision for her. She probably felt this was her only option to create a better life for herself and her son. I think there is the perception that the US is the land of opportunity, but as depicted in the film, Rosario found herself having to work 3 jobs and live a very frugal lifestyle in order to support herself and save money to send to Carlito over the 5 years she was in the US. Rosario also struggled with self doubt regarding her decision as she debated returning to Mexico at times to be able to be with Carlito.
Carlito faced the difficulty of missing his mother on a daily basis. Even though she spoke with him by phone every Sunday, he missed her motherly touch and comfort. He also struggled with discouragement because she had been away so long, as evidenced by the few brief instances where he questions her love for him. Carlito's grandmother was really his only familial support
and you could tell she loved him dearly. When she dies, he has no ties to keep him in Mexico and sets out on his quest to find his mom.
Rosario faced the difficulties of surviving as an illegal immigrant in the US. This hindered her ability to find more profitable work, always living under the radar screen of immigration officials.
She was subject to the whims of those she worked for, as seen when she is fired from her cleaning job and not paid for the days she worked that week. Her driving force is the goal of supporting her son and getting him to the US. She is heartbroken with the separation, crying when she speaks with Carlito on the phone. I think this probably prevents her from getting involved in a relationship with men because she is so focused on her goal.
I think mothers in general would make the same choice, but the situation is different for the majority of Americans. There are some American mother's that leave their children with family or caregivers to work in different countries or cities, but not for the same reasons as depicted in this film. Their drive may be more so for professional advancement, not usually for their children's opportunity. There are probably many moms that work multiple jobs to support their family but don't have to go to the extremes of going to another country to do it. Although I guess you could say Rosario could have made a go of life in Mexico, she wanted more opportunity for Carlito and his future. She was willing to risk her life and happiness for her child.
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Great template, What do you think is the connection between her driving force and her broken heart. You really have a great point with your comment. I think this demonstrates the true nature of a mother. What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI think Rosario's driving force or goal overcomes her sentimentality and heartache that she experiences related to the separation. Sometimes you have to suppress your emotional side and let your logical side sustain you to achieve your goal. This can be very difficult and, as noted when she phones Carlito,those emotions come forth in the form of tears. Her motherly nature overcomes her at those times.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Rosario loved her son so much that she was willing to risk her life and not that of Carlito. What I have a hard time understanding is why didn't she go through legal channels to try and come to the United States and then she would have been able to bring Carliot with her. I know this had to be a difficult decision for her because I miss my kids after a day or two let alone 4 years.
ReplyDeleteWhen we see the stuggles of Rosario I again have to wonder what her life in the US would have been like if she had gone through the proper channels to be here in the first place. The unfortunate part is that when she had been taken advantage of by her employer she had no recourse because she was here illegally and her employer knew it.
Carlito also had his own stuggles back in Mexico. He had to care for his sick grandma and work to help support them. He had no time to just be a boy. He had grown up very quickly in the 4 years that his mom was gone. Unfortunately this situation happens all the time, even here in the United States. We see on the news and read stories in the paper about kids that have to help care for family members and do what ever they can to help support the family. Fortunately this is not the norm and for the most part in the US kids get the chance to be kids, going to school and playing.
I love your response to professor Anorga's question. I agree that we have to sometimes stop thinking with our hearts and start thinking with our minds when it comes to our kids. I myself find that I do things or buy things because I know it will make my kids happy not because they need it. I love my kids and like Rosario want them to have the best life possible. I am very blessed to be able to give my kids the life that Rosario wanted for Carlito.
I love your debate about the emotions and logic in life! I, myself, do not have kids (yet), but i do believe there is a fine line between these two worlds - logic and emotions when you are raising kids. But i do not believe that logic has to win in this case. As we witness in the movie, Rosario's love wins and she gets ready to get back to her son Carlitos, but through some fortunate events they get reunited in the United States. I also believe that she would not have regretted being back to Mexico and restarting her old-new life with her son, where she belonged since the beginning. Of course it is difficult for me to imagine how unstable the life in Mexico can be, but somehow i do not believe that this lost time (4 years)_was worth the money and heartache that it caused for both of the characters. Kudos to the people who made this movie, because every time i hear or think about Mexico or Mexico related topics i keep remembering Rosario and Carlitos. This movie really put a human face to the illegal immigration issue.
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