Learning the Language

I'm not much of a T.V. watcher, so I haven't tuned into a series about immigration that CBS News began Monday. ImmigrationProf Blog has the synopsis. CBS News has also posted a couple of stories related to the series, here and here.

But I destroyed several tissues watching the film Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) last weekend about a 9-year-old Mexican boy's illegal crossing of the U.S.-Mexico border and search for his mother. The angst that the mother and child felt because of their separation really struck an emotional chord with me. (I found the book, Enrique's Journey, a true story of a Honduran boy setting out to cross two countries' borders and find his mother, equally moving.)

The film doesn't focus so much on the actual border crossing but more on the boy's journey across the United States to Los Angeles and his interactions with various Latinos and Americans along the way. It gives a very human portrayal of the community of undocumented people in this country. While the film is a tear-jerker, it has funny parts, too. (A Washington Post family filmgoer column indicates it would be appropriate for teens.)