Free Movie Night ...

Free Movie Night

Free tickets rock. It does not matter if those free tickets are to a play, a movie, a concert, or a ball game; free tickets simply rock. Given the state of my budget, they are actually essential, but that is a story for another time.

So, when I recently got free tickets to see "Under the Same Moon" or "La Misma Luna" I felt compelled to go and enjoy a movie I likely would not have plunked down money I do not have to go and see.

It is odd to find ones self in a distinctive demographic minority. The film is a Spanish language film about a separated mother and son and the US / Mexico border. This was not a dubbed version to appease an English speaking audience, but a Spanish film with subtitles. One must read quickly. And, it is also clear that despite the subtitles many of the jokes and situations do not translate literally or require a specific frame of reference to get on certain levels. A number of times I found myself wondering exactly what the audience was chuckling at. So be it.

This is a good film, not a great film. It is fairly predictable in that the boy faces virtually every possible immigration pitfall in a matter of days. It's a movie, I get it. What it does have is very good performances throughout the cast. It also has the "how do we put a hot band into the movie and make it fit into the story ...?" moment where suddenly .... (spoiler alert - I'll stop here) ...

I don't my friends that it was like a big budget Lifetime movie in Spanish, only better than that ... which probably wasn't fair, but does describe it. Yesterday I saw that it was playing at an art house in the U District. I hope it does well. It actually would be worth paying to see.

Oh, and when the radio station promoting the free showing hands out raffle #s and you are one number off ... that really bites ...