My Family

José Sánchez undertakes a year-long journey on foot from Mexico to Los Angeles. On the road he forms a fast friendship with El Californio, a man born in what was then Mexico. The two men settle together and build a corn farm on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

El Californio nears death and asks that his tombstone carry a lasting reminder of his homeland. He shares in José the idea that, although borders change, the land remains Mexico where his body lies. José promises to honor that wish as a testament to memory and place.

José meets María, an American citizen, and they fall in love. They marry and begin a life together in Los Angeles, bridging two cultures. María's status marks the family's ongoing connection to both sides of the border.

María is deported during a mass roundup by the U.S. government. She endures a long, arduous journey to return, finally arriving two years later with their newborn son, Chucho. The family must endure a painful separation and an emotional reunion.

Twenty years pass, and Irene is getting married in the late 1950s. Chucho and Paco are grown, and new relatives Toni, Memo, and Jimmy have joined the family. The wedding signals a shift in family dynamics as the next generation steps forward.

At a dance hall, Chucho is taunted by rival Butch Mejia. A bloody knife fight erupts, and Chucho kills Butch in the melee. The incident forces Chucho into a fugitive existence from the police.

Chucho is shot dead by the Los Angeles Police Department in front of Jimmy. The ambulance arrives as the family rushes to the scene. Paco narrates that Chucho's life had always seemed to be lived on borrowed time.

Jimmy completes a prison sentence and returns home, but his years behind bars have hardened him. It is revealed that after Chucho's death twenty years earlier, he became a fugitive, carrying anger and a sense of grievance. The family begins to see the toll of his past on subsequent generations.

Across the 1970s and 1980s, the third generation confronts acculturation and family history. Memo grows up to become a lawyer and pursues a relationship with Karen from Bel-Air. The ongoing tension between tradition and assimilation tests the family bonds.

Toni and David Ronconi marry, and they devote themselves to helping political refugees. Their activism brings the family into contact with Isabel, a Salvadoran refugee in danger of deportation. The couple's partnership widens the Sanchez circle to grassroots aid.

Isabel becomes pregnant but dies after giving birth to Carlitos. Jimmy blames the attending doctor and is arrested, beginning a new chapter of consequences for the family. Carlitos is left to be raised by José and María.

Four years later, Jimmy is released from prison and hopes to care for his son. However, Carlitos resents him, thinking his real father is a Texas cowboy. The rift highlights the enduring struggles of belonging and family legacy.

Memo's life as a lawyer and engagement to Karen from Bel-Air underscores the clash of cultures. The first family meeting between Memo and Jimmy's world starts well but soon spirals into tension. Memo challenges Jimmy's past and helps push the family toward a new path.

Jimmy makes a decisive choice to reform. Carlitos eventually accepts him, and they move to Texas where Jimmy has a solid manufacturing job in San Antonio. The move symbolizes a fresh start and the continuity of family ties across borders.

Jose and Maria reflect on the long arc of their lives and acknowledge how luck and faith shaped their family. The film ends with a panoramic shot of Los Angeles as they look back. The legacy of resilience and immigration threads through the generations.