Renato, a Mexican aviation exec, is shocked to learn he has an American half-brother he never knew about, the free-spirited Asher. They are forced on a road trip together, tracing the path their father took from Mexico to the US.
Renato (Luis Gerardo Méndez), spends many days of his childhood days in Mexico following in the footsteps of his doting dad, Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa) who is an immigrant. In spite of having very little income, the family is tight-knit and Renato’s most favorite sound to hear is that of his father’s whistle, beckoning him to come to him. They both share a love of planes and Renato’s father promises that one day they will have enough money to fly their own plane just like the model they toss around daily and that they will take it to Sumidero Canyon, the place of their dreams. When times get really tough, the family is forced to send the patriarch away to the United States in order to find work to make money for them to survive. Renato hates this more than anything, yet he knows the decision is not his to make and he misses his father tremendously.
One day out of the blue, Renato’s mother receives a call stating that her husband will not be coming home as he had promised. She doesn’t receive all the details, but he apparently has to make a life-changing choice and it isn’t to go back to his family. This hurts Renato more than anything and he refuses to get on the phone and say goodbye. Renato grows up and becomes a successful aviation executive and is engaged to be married when another call comes from Chicago with the news that his father is sick and not expected to live. Renato wants no part of his father’s new wife Catherine (the woman who called), nor does he want to see the man who had abandoned him as a child. When he finally makes up his mind to take the trip, he has no idea what is in store for him.
Renato’s journey to the states reveals so many things and instead of going directly to his dad, he is given a set of instructions that he has to follow in order for him to learn exactly what had transgressed in his father’s life the many years he has been away. The true heart of the film starts to develop when Renato learns that he has an American half brother named Asher (Connor Del Rio) that is totally opposite of him. The more Renato tries to deny the bloodline, the more Asher works to make him realize there is no getting around the fact that he is his brother and that the best thing they could do is to come together and work out the issues that remained to be taken care of with regard to their father.
Director Luke Greenfield does an excellent job of showing how the totally opposite personalities come together in a hilarious and heartwarming set of circumstances that forces them to depend upon one another to get through their own individual life crises and then the shared life circumstances they have to overcome in order to appease their dying father. There are plenty of ups and downs and viewers are forced to check their own biases in order to completely understand the narrative.
In the end, the brothers realize that they are alike in many ways and that the differences they have, set the foundation for the heart of the bloodline that is a direct component of their father’s lineage. When they realize they need each other more than they will ever admit, they come together with compassion and understanding in spite of their sibling rivalry. Because of this, Renato becomes a better stepfather to Emilio, his fiance’s son and Asher becomes more confident, in spite of his insecurities that have formed his lackadaisical approach to life.
In Select Theaters Friday, December 4th
