As Americans, we often criticize illegal immigrants for their unauthorized presence in our country. But we forget about the reasons why these people have aspired to come to the United States and what keeps them here. With the story of nine-year-old Carlitos (Adrian Alonso) and his journey to reunite with his mother, Under the Same Moon not only reminds viewers of the plight of the illegal aliens, but even manages to make us sympathize with their struggles.

Every Sunday morning, Carlitos waits by the same telephone at the same time for the chance to have a five-minute conversation with his mother, Rosario. He begs her to let him join her illegal alien stint in Los Angeles, and she adamantly refuses his request, hoping to spare him the treacherous crossing. But when Carlitos’s grandmother and caretaker suddenly dies, Carlitos decides to make his way across the border to find his mother.

Obstacle after obstacle are put squarely in Carlitos’s path, but he plows through them all with the brazen naivete that could only come from a young boy with nothing to lose. The nine-year-old must survive a trans-border trip under the seat of a sweltering car, the loss of his humble but indispensable savings and almost being sold into sexual slavery – and that’s just the first day of his expedition. But through it all, Carlitos charms everyone he meets, endearing himself ever further into their hearts and ours. As Carlitos, Alonso is never cloying, always captivating. The audience rejoices with his every triumph and mourns over every new stumbling block. His unflagging resolve gives viewers the perfect reason to become invested in Carlitos’s victory.

For strangers to Mexican cinema, there will be few familiar faces in Under the Same Moon. To remedy this for American audiences, director Patricia Riggen included America Fererra in a cameo as an Americanized Mexican whose incompetence endangers Carlitos’s journey across the border. While it’s nice to see a recognizable person, Ferrera’s performance is brief and unremarkable. However, its pivotal nature makes it necessary. And if I have to suffer through a few minutes of Fererra’s stilted acting to get Carlitos to his mother in America, then I’m happy to do so.

Under the Same Moon uses the heartwarming story of Carlitos’s mission to find his mother as a means of making American citizens understand why Mexicans illegally immigrate to the United States. Carlitos meets many unauthorized aliens as he makes his way from Mexico to Los Angeles. He even befriends one particularly ornery field worker. Carlitos’s generosity and devotion to his newfound friend exemplify the communal nature of our neighbors to the south. At the same time, Rosario is working two jobs to make enough money to become an American citizen and send for Carlitos. In a notoriously individualistic American society, such examples of selflessness are refreshing to see.

Writer Ligiah Villalobos has succeeded in creating a film that is simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking. Equal parts comedy and drama, Villalobos keeps viewers on an emotional merry-go-round. While the audience is constantly worried for Carlitos’s well-being and concerned that he may never find his mother, they are also given the treat of Carlitos’s vibrant spirit and sheer tenacity. I laughed as much as I cried at the follies and foibles of little Carlitos. This duality results in a finely balanced tale of a son’s irrepressible love for his mother.

As Carlitos endeavors to find Rosario, Under the Same Moon becomes less about Carlitos’s individual story and more about the struggle of every illegal Mexican immigrant. Just as Carlitos must fight to achieve his goal of finding his place with his mother, so too must unauthorized aliens fight to find their place in America. While Under the Same Moon isn’t going to be changing any legislation any time soon, it at least shows us Americans the other side of the debate. And remember: Even the pilgrims were once foreigners in a country that didn’t want them.