The double life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez

Description

Fifteen-year-old Ernesto Gomez finds his life squeezed between two identities, two families and three nations: the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico. This moving and informative documentary follows the teenage Ernesto as he goes on a journey of self-discovery, moving from Mexico to the USA to meet his Puerto Rican birth mother in prison and learn from her the truth about his heritage, his legacy and himself. Dylcia Pagan, a Puerto Rican patriot, was captured in 1980 in a van packed with bombs. She received a severe sentence of 55 years in jail for seditious conspiracy. Her baby boy was adopted by a loving, politically minded Mexican family and Ernesto grew up unaware of his past. When his origins were finally revealed, he decided to reconnect with his mother, imprisoned in San Francisco. The film documents his struggle for identity as he establishes a relationship with not only his mother but also her ideology. He asked the filmmakers to tell his story, as he navigates his conflicting emotions between longing for his family left in Mexico and sympathizing with his mother.

Runtime

55 min

Creator

Weimberg, Gary

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

2001

Database

Alexander Street

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