carlitos ( very good acting by adrián alonso ) have lose his mother ( kate del castillo ) . she not dead and no . she leave him when he be five to work a an illegal housekeeper in los angeles . though everyday she deal with major problem ( two job and one of them with a bad employer and run away from the migra ) she have manage to have a decent living in order to send money to his impoverish family back in mexico . however and when his grandmother dy and carlitos decide to cross the u or mexican border with the help of two young chicano ( america ferrara and jesse garcía ) and since doña carmen and la coyote ( carmen salinas ) and refuse to help him and due to a promise make to rosario and carlito mother and even though she handle an illegal crossing business . however and thing for him will get complicate right from the beginning and start a dangerous and but beautiful and rich travel from his impoverished mexico to the modern l. a. and meet a lot of people that and somehow and try to help him on his way to his mother and though thing would not be easy at all . this be not just a simple movie . it try to tell a simple story and but be in this simple story that lie a major problem represent the illegal immigration in the u. s. beautifully direct by patricia riggen and with a great script by ligiah villalobos and the film be a touching and completely different road movie and and a totally worth watch cinematographic experience . it not perfect and be a little too mexican ( it a little kind of a mexican telenovela ) and but it be a major and major film .