I carry you with me

Movie
Original title	I carry you with me
Country of production	Mexico , USA
original language	Spanish
Publishing year	2020
length	111 minutes
Rod
Director	Heidi Ewing
script	Heidi Ewing, ; Alan Page Arriaga and ; Alan Page
production	Heidi Ewing, ; Mynette Louie
music	Jay Wadley
camera	Juan Pablo Ramírez
cut	Enat Sidi
occupation
	Armando Espitia : Iván; Christian Vázquez : Gerardo; Michelle Rodríguez : Sandra; Ángeles Cruz : Rosa Maria; Arcelia Ramírez : Magda; Michelle González : Paola; Raúl Briones : Marcos; Pascacio López : César; Luis Alberti : Cucusa; Yael Tadeo : young Iván; Nery Arredondo : young Gerardo; Alexia Morales : young Sandra;

I Carry You With Me is a film drama by Heidi Ewing that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020 and is due to hit US cinemas in autumn 2020.

action

Iván lives in Puebla, Mexico and is trained as a chef. However, because he is somehow stuck in his current job, he goes to a club with his best friend Sandra to get other thoughts. There he meets the openly gay Gerardo, who is happy to discover a fresh face in the crowd. Despite a romantic evening together, this one encounter remains for the time being. Iván has a child from a previous relationship and fears that his ex-girlfriend can make sure he never sees his son again if she finds out he's gay. Because the whole society in which Iván lives is extremely homophobic, he decides to go to the USA, where he hopes for a better life. In New York in particular , he believes that as a gay man he can live freely there.

Once there, Iván is quickly confronted with the harsh reality. Instead of working as a cook as planned, he first has to learn English and keep his head above water with low-level jobs. In Mexico, Gerardo plans to follow him to the USA because he misses Iván very much. In New York both can finally have the relationship they were denied in their homeland.

Twenty years later, Iván has realized his American dream and owns a restaurant. Since he has not seen his son since then and the young man has not been granted entry to the USA, he is considering returning to Mexico. However, because Iván has entered the country illegally, he fears that he and his entire family will never see him again.

production

Christian Vázquez plays Gerardo

For documentary filmmaker Heidi Ewing , I Carry You With Me is her first foray into narrative filmmaking. Her previous films include , but also for, the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp , The Boys of Baraka , 12th & Delaware , Detropia and Norman Lear Netflix produces One of Us .

In I Carry You With Me, Ewing combined a love story with the story of immigration , more precisely of immigrants who still believe in the " American Dream ", which many Americans have already lost. In an interview with NPR, Ewing said the film was inspired by a true story. Friends of hers had told her their story of their life, meeting in 1994, and their relationship in Mexico before they both came to the United States, where they started a successful business. Her friends also told her about her homesickness. In the film, Ewing works with many flashbacks that show Iván and Gerardo in Mexico.

Armando Espitia and Christian Vázquez took on the roles of Iván and Gerardo as adults. Michelle Rodríguez plays Iván's best friend Sandra. In their younger years they are played by Yael Tadeo, Nery Arredondo and Alexia Morales.

Filming took place in Mexico City and Puebla and in March 2019 in New York.

The film was first shown on January 26, 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival . At the end of August 2020, the film will be presented in competition at the Molodist International Film Festival , which will take place in a hybrid version, and at the end of September, beginning of October 2020 at the New York Film Festival . The film is slated to hit US cinemas in autumn 2020.