I Carry You with Me

As already pointed out, this is a good and interesting hybrid documentary-feature film based on a true story, where the real subjects of the drama, the Mexican gay couple Ivan and Gerardo, appear alongside the actors. The film is an intimate portrait of the personal sacrifices that immigrants endure in order to realize their American dream. Intertwined scenes from the present and the past require from the viewer a certain level of concentration.

P. S. It's not a classic LGBT+ movie and apart from a couple of male kisses there's nothing provocative for the wider audience. The provocation here exists but it is clearly of social and political nature!

A fascinating hybrid of narrative and documentary, Heidi Ewing's 'I Carry You with Me' is a devastatingly gorgeous and ultimately hopeful love story with a powerful political point. Armando Espitia and Christian Vázquez deliver beautiful performances. A compelling romance but it really unfolds into a vital call for US immigration reform.

A young Mexican finds himself a boyfriend, but when his family finds out, he is denied access to his young son, given his work of low status and pay. He decides to find success as a chef by crossing illegally to the U. S. Decades later, he realizes that all his success may not reunite him with his son.

This is based on a real story, directed by a documentary filmmaker. So I was surprised that it was given a very non-linear treatment. Starting in approximately "present day", it is told in multiple interwoven flashbacks. There is the child, the young man in Mexico and U. S., scenes from his rise in the U,S., and "today". Switching back and forth, it was fairly demanding for the viewer to keep track of when the event was. For a non-Spanish-speaking audience, this was in addition to keeping up with the subtitles.

I expect some viewers will see this thru a political lens. Does an illegal who succeeds deserve some form of permanent residency, even if it is not a path to citizenship?

I didn't know before seeing this film that undocumented migrants could work, have businesses or jobs in the US but not be allowed ever to return if they leave even for a short holiday. This film is a cri de coeur to change this iniquitous system.

The actors were simply perfect, both the young incarnations and the older ones. It was easy to imagine that these two sets of main characters especially could have been the same people in their earlier or later lives. I especially liked the touch at the end when we see photos of all of the real characters at various times in their lives culminating in a photo of the real guys who inspired the story posing with the actors who played them.

One other refreshing thing was the absence of simulated sex going on. Gay or straight, it seems to be obligatory nowadays in films and TV that people have to get into bed and show it all after the merest kiss.

As this was based on a true story, at some points the tension flagged; we knew they got to the States, for example. However, it was still a revelation to see the horror of getting over the border and how easy it is to die on the way.

At an hour and fifty one minutes, this was just right in length. There wasn't any padding at all. It was a fascinating glimpse into attitudes and adventures that most of us never see. Bittersweet at the end but life went on. I do recommend this film.

This film touches on very complex issues, just as it manages to give a good story.

The story shows us the difficulties of being gay in a community with a very closed mind, and the havoc it has with the family, as well as portraying what it means to go to fulfill your dream in another country. The story has a good development, as well as the development of the characters, but I think that the main character at certain times his decisions become selfish and he is never satisfied with the people who accompany him, reflecting that he does not care much what that others feel or what he leaves behind. Despite that, the film manages to empathize with that character, by having a good acting and good direction. I didn't like the ending as it confused me a bit in how the characters end up, if they always get what they want, or that they could never get everything they wanted.

The movie is very interpretive, but the story is compelling and makes you want to know more about the characters.