La misma luna (Under the Same Moon) (PG-13) *** | Humanity at heart of film, not politics

A boy stops at nothing, including the U.S. border, to reunite with his mother.

• On the Web | Under the Same Moon official Web site
• Despite spotlight, film fest's still a hometown event

An endearingly sweet fable about a hotly debated subject, La misma luna (Under the Same Moon) kicks off the 25th Miami International Film Festival on a high note. Director Patricia Riggen and screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos use a graceful touch and a tender approach to character in this story of a 9-year-old boy (Adrian Alonso) who crosses the Mexico-U.S. border on his own to reunite with his mother (Kate Del Castillo), an illegal immigrant working as a maid in Los Angeles.

Rosario, the mother, had left son Carlitos in the care of his grandmother (Angelina Paláez) when she left Mexico four years earlier, hoping to save enough money to send for him quickly. But four years elapse, and when the grandmother dies unexpectedly, the resourceful boy embarks on a dangerous trek to California to find his mother.

The remarkable performances by Alonso (who is actually 14) and Del Castillo allow the viewer to share the bond between mother and son, anchoring Under the Same Moon with a humaneness that transcends personal politics and stances on immigration law. Instead of delivering a pointed statement, this timely and energetic crowd-pleaser aims for -- and accomplishes -- something much more difficult: It makes you fall in love with its characters.

-- RENE RODRIGUEZ

Director: Patricia Riggen.

Screenwriter: Ligiah Villalobos.

Producers: Gerardo Barrera, Lorenzo O'Brien, Patricia Riggen.

109 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. Plays at 7 tonight at the Gusman.