Under the Same Moon

For SFL 354, I viewed the movie Under the Same Moon, with the intention to notice hardships of race, age, or ethnicity one of the main characters went through with which I could relate. Media like the movie I watched has so much to teach us regarding our place in society compared to others... It's enlightening and encouraging how much we can begin to understand others and their struggles when we are given a piece of their perspective. Here are a few lines from my report:

My heart was so full as I saw little Carlitos’ struggle with neglect and search for a secure attachment as he suffered the consequences of his family’s income level combined with ethnicity and age.

I was particularly touched by his maturity throughout the process of being tossed from his family’s place in Mexico, to being in the care of strangers, to reuniting with his mother on his own. How could someone so young encounter such traumatic events in a relatively calm manner?

Being disrespected and even oppressed due to things outside of my control was, and still is, very frustrating for me because of the sense of hopelessness it has placed on me as it did Carlitos throughout the whole process of looking for his mom. Because family is such an important aspect in my personal religious culture and his Mexican culture, feeling displaced in that unit is especially scaring as it also pertains to the important human developmental attachment.

After viewing this film, I can recognize that I am better able to empathize for others’ oppression such as the character Carlitos’ search for secure attachment as a result of his racial, socioeconomic, and age struggles, because of this opportunity of introspection of my own oppression experiences.