We’ve all heard the story before: a humble, small-town Mexican youth with few opportunities takes his destiny into his own hands, packs up his bags and leaves his country for… Germany? I agree, Germany seems a little out of the way for a Mexican migrant story, but it’s not totally unthinkable given that we Latinos somehow show up even in the farthest reaches of the planet (Cubans in Kazakhstan? That’s actually a thing.) The film in question, Buen Día, Ramón, is a 2014 Mexican feature that, after a highly successful run at local box-offices last year, will be premiering January 30th at select theaters throughout the U.S. in what might very well be another cross-over success story from south of the border.
While revisiting well-worn dramatic territory with the story of a down-and-out Mexican migrant, Buen Día, Ramón does seem to bring some fresh life to the age-old immigrant dilemma. The film’s protagonist, Ramón, leaves Mexico in hopes of finding a distant relative who’s supposedly living the dream in snowy Deutschland, only to find that she no longer lives at the same address. Cold, penniless and with nowhere to turn, Ramón is ultimately taken in by an elderly German woman and, despite linguistic and cultural barriers, a tender friendship develops between the two. Yes, it might be cold outside, but it looks like this one will warm your heart.
Known for directing a handful of forgettable features throughout the 90s and 00s, director Jorge Ramírez Suárez appears to have a more-than-confident visual style, with subtly lit interiors and an expressive use of Germany’s cold winter light in exterior locations. 19-year old lead actor Kristyan Ferrer previously made his name as El Smiley in the 2009 immigrant drama Sin Nombre, followed by a secondary role in Luis Estrada’s 2010 narco satire, El Infierno, and by all measures is poised to have a long and robust career in the years to come. While acting chops are not necessarily on full display in the film’s official trailer, Ferrer does seem to have just the right mix of frightened puppydog and smiling, tender puppydog for guaranteed box office gold.
And in case you weren’t feeling warm and fuzzy inside already, scenes of Ramón giving elderly Germans merengue lessons and practicing the German for “I am your friend” just gets all those cotton-candy emotions flowing. From the looks of things, the Hollywood code’s been cracked and their monopoly on feel-good, warm-n-fuzzy has come to a resounding end.