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Patricia Riggen Crosses Borders
Director Patricia Riggen and Adrian Alonso on the set of Under the Same Moon (2008).
Immigration has been a hot topic of debate in this country for the past decade (just ask Lou Dobbs) and with this fall’s election just around the corner, it may even be the deciding factor in determining our next president. But if you think that Patricia Riggen’s feature film debut, Under the Same Moon, is a controversial or political vehicle for discussing such views, think again.
Although the film does offer a clear point of view on the issue of immigration, Under the Same Moon is, at its core, about the ties that bind a mother and her child. Set and shot in Mexico and Los Angeles, the film tells the story of Carlitos, played gracefully by veteran child actor Adrian Alonso, a young boy who smuggles himself across the Mexican border to reunite with his mother (popular Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo), who is working in East L.A. to support her family back in Mexico. The film’s story is universal and has an almost “ripped-from-the-headlines” kind of feel in that Carlitos and Rosario’s plight is a familiar one for most immigrants living in the U.S.
Riggen first worked as a newspaper journalist in Mexico, then as a photographer, before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University’s Masters film program, where she delved into screenwriting, producing and—finally—directing. Her first documentary was 2002’s La Milpa, followed by 2004’s Family Portrait, which won the Short Filmmaking Award at Sundance.
MM recently sat down with Riggen to discuss Under the Same Moon, the struggle behind telling an immigrant story and the moving effect that the film has had on both Latin and American audiences alike.
Lily Percy MM: One of the things that I think is really unique about the film is the way that you parallel Rosario’s life in L.A. with Carlitos’ life in Mexico. Was this always in the script? How did this idea come about?
Patricia Riggen (PR): Yes, I came up with this idea because it tells you very quickly what this movie is about. You enter this story thinking, “Oh, mother and child, they’re waking up in the same house.” Then, little by little, you start realizing that they are not in the same house—in fact they are in very different places. That is when you get the story right there—mom, child and separation.
MM: This film is authentically Mexican, with a Mexican cast and specific story rather than a universal or generic Latin one. Why was this important to you?
PR: I think that the more detail you get into a particular reality, the more it will become eventually. Instead of trying to put all of these elements from all of these cultures together to try and make something that is appealing, they should just concentrate on portraying the reality as eloquently as they can and as accurately as they can. That works better. I know this reality so I just concentrated in showing it—the cast, the music, the way they speak, the way they relate to each other. Eventually, that is a much wiser choice. I think that I have to remember this also for my future work. All of these things—I don’t do them consciously—all of this work that one does as a director, you do it instinctively.
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- Comment by anatoliy on 4/22/08 at 6:14 am
:)
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