‘I Carry You With Me’ a story of gain and pain

Above : Armando Espitia stars in Heidi Ewing’s film “I Carry You With Me” (“Te llevo conmigo”). (Photo/Sony Pictures)

Movie review : “I Carry You With Me” (“Te llevo conmigo”), directed by Heidi Ewing, starring Armando Espitia, Christian Vasquez, Michelle Rodriguez. In Spanish with English subtitles. Streaming at the Magic Lantern Theatre.

We’ve all seen the stories of immigrants crossing the southern border of the United States looking to improve their lives, if not on television news reports then in movies such as “El Norte” and “A Better Life.”

In her Spanish-language film “Te llevo conmingo” – which translates in English to “I Carry You With Me” – writer-director Heidi Ewing follows in the same vein. But the way she conceives her film makes it into something totally unique.

Ewing is best known as a documentary filmmaker. Her 2006 film “Jesus Camp” was even nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar. “I Carry You With Me,” by contrast, is a meld both of the narrative and documentary.

First, it’s based on the true story of Ivan Rodriguez, a native of Puebla, Mexico, whose life in his home country was particularly unfulfilling. Though he was trained as a cook, the only restaurant job Ivan was able to score was as a shelf stocker. Second, because he was a father, he could see his young son only when the boy’s mother allowed it – which is why Ivan had to hide the fact that he was gay.

And even though he eventually meets Gerardo, who becomes the love of his life, Ivan is drawn to something bigger. And that something is the future he imagines for himself in New York City.

Most of this first part of Ivan’s story is presented as a cinematic representation, with the Mexican actors Armando Espitia portraying Ivan, Christian Vazquez portraying Gerardo and Michelle Rodriguez cast as Ivan’s childhood companion Sandra. Only in passing instances – say, through a shot of the real-life Ivan riding the New York subway – do we gradually see that Ewing is up to something different.

Which is what we get, ultimately, when “I Carry You With Me” transforms into a full-fledged documentary, capturing the reality of Ivan’s existence as an actual restaurant owner – after dramatizing his emerging rise from being a bicycle-riding delivery boy to self-starting entrepreneur.

Throughout Ewing’s film, a number of themes surface. One is the tenderness of a man’s love for his son. Another is the pain that same man feels by having to hide his sexual orientation just to maintain his role as a father – even when doing so might jeopardize his relationship with Gerardo, his one true love.

But, too, “I Carry You With Me” makes a statement about hopes and dreams, about how ambition can drive those with talent to achieve all they want if they are just willing to take a chance. Or, rather, to take any number of chances, from braving a challenging and dangerous border crossing to stepping up to do what’s necessary in a busy kitchen when a demanding chef wants something done.

Implicit in that last statement, by the way, is an unspoken assertion: Given all of Ivan’s accomplishments, citizenship papers or no, how can he be seen as a drain on American society – as some would, not doubt, characterize him?

“I Carry You With Me,” then, is a contemporary tale, one that director Ewing renders in a way that smoothly navigates the delicate balance between truth and a fictional representation of that very truth.

It’s also a study of just how difficult it is for anyone to resolve the disparity between hopes and dreams that get fulfilled from those that, for whatever reason, remain unsatisfied.

Yes, “Te llevo conmigo” relates a story specific to a single man, but it boasts clear implications for us all.

An edited version of this review was previously broadcast on Spokane Public Radio .