What were the main reasons for the boy's mom to leave her son in Mexico with his grandmother? Could you infer other idea for the context presented in the film?
Rosalina moved to L.A. away from her son Carlos, so that she could start a new and better life for the two of them. She was working to save money and become a legal U.S. citizen before she went back to Mexico to bring Carlos to L.A. with her. It could also be inferred from the movie that Rosalina moved to America in search of Carlos's father Oscar, who moved to America before Rosalina, and had never seen Carlos.
Why do you think the mother had to make such a difficult decision? Was it really difficult? What are clear scenes that portray those difficulties if any?
Rosalina had to make this difficult decision to leave Carlos behind in Mexico, because it was to dangerous for her to bring him with her. As a young child, it would have been nearly impossible for Carlos to get across the Mexico/American border without being discovered by the I.N.S., and Rosalina had to make the decision to leave him in Mexico, until she herself was settled in America and able to bring him to America with her. The opening scene shows Rosalina's struggle to cross the border, opening with a police crash and Rosalina and other illegal immigrants running to cross the border to America without being arrested.
What problems did the boy face living away from his mother? What problems did his mom face living away from her son?
A problem that Carlos faced living away from his mother, was the struggle between Manuel and Josefina trying to take Carlos away from his grandmother. Carlos' grandmother was in poor health, and as much as his grandmother was looking after Carlos, Carlos was the true care-taker of the home. He was the one to get up early in the morning, make breakfast, get ready for school, and bring his grandmother her medications for the day. Also, Carlos had a job while in Mexico working for Dona Carmela even though he was such a young boy, he had many responsibilities for taking care of his family. Rosalina also faced problems while living away from Carlos such as the extreme guilt she felt for leaving her son. In one scene, it shows Rosalina babysitting another woman's child, and her sadness to be playing and coddling this other child, while she can't be with her one son. Another problem she faces is trying to find work in America so that she can send money to Carlos, save money to bring him to America, and support herself. Rosalina is discriminated against in the work force because she is an illegal immigrant, and she is forced to find "odd" jobs cleaning houses, babysitting and other such work to make ends meet. Even in these jobs she is not treated fairly, because when one of her bosses unjustly fires her and refuses to pay her for work that has already been done, Rosalina is unable to do anything about it, because as an illegal immigrants, there is no one she cane turn to for help.
Would a mother in the U.S. make the same choice? Why
A mother in the U.S. would not be forced to make these decisions like Rosalina. In American if a mother was trying to leave the U.S. to find work in another country, she would be allowed to take her child with her, and not have to smuggle across the border. Furthermore, if things were not working out for the mother in another country, it would be much easier and acceptable for the mother to move back to America and look for work to support her family.
