Under the Same Moon

Rosario has been working illegally in the United States for four years, sending money home to Mexico so her nine-year-old son Carlitos can have a better life. While she cleans houses in Los Angeles, the boy lives in a small Mexican town in the care of his grandmother, and mother and son speak by telephone each Sunday. When the grandmother dies, Carlitos decides to cross the border himself to find his mother, a journey that puts him in the hands of people who smuggle migrants, while Rosario faces the daily difficulties of life and work in a country where she has no legal status.

Under the Same Moon is a 2007 drama directed by Patricia Riggen, her first feature, and written by Ligiah Villalobos. Adrian Alonso plays Carlitos and Kate del Castillo plays Rosario, with Eugenio Derbez, Maya Zapata, Carmen Salinas and Angelina Peláez among a credited cast of 41. The film was produced in Mexico, the United States and France, and took about 23 million dollars worldwide.

Riggen went on to direct Lemonade Mouth, Girl in Progress, The 33, Miracles from Heaven and G20. On IMDb the film holds 7.3 out of 10 from roughly 7,900 votes, and on TMDB it has 8 out of 10 from 371 votes, an audience response that is warmer than its moderate commercial scale might suggest.