“When Big People Lie” directorโข Gianfranco Fernรกndez-Ruiz Exploresโค Immigration, Family, โand Lost Innocence in New Short Film
LOS ANGELES, CA – โFilmmaker Gianfranco Fernรกndez-Ruiz’s short โfilm, When Big People Lie, delves into the complexโ realities faced by children of immigrants navigatingโข aโฃ world shaped by adult decisions and societal pressures. In a recent interview with Deadline, Fernรกndez-Ruiz discussed the film’s origins in his ownโ family’s experiences and his hope thatโ it โsparks conversationโ about immigration, class, and the โคfrequently enough-overlooked contributions of immigrant communities.
The film centers on a young โboyโฃ and his โคmother, subtly โคtouchingโข upon themes of โฃcitizenship and belonging. Fernรกndez-Ruiz revealed the story was sparked by his mother’s journey to citizenship and stories of familyโ members who viewed their status as โคa transactional asset.”The core of this film is that I’m a boy, โคandโ my mom is doing everything she can to takeโข care โof โคme,” he explained.”I woudl like audiences to think about their momsโฆand discussโฃ what’s โคhappening in the โlandscape of immigration and allโฃ the other issues that are unfolding,โ in addition to their โคown personal relationships.”
Fernรกndez-Ruiz emphasizes the film isn’t intended as aโค direct political โstatement, โขbut rather a humanโข story that invites reflection. He critiques the oversimplification of immigration policy, noting, “There’s an oversimplification โคof like, โ’Oh, well, this person โshouldn’t have come to thisโ country inโ the first place. Keep the family together. Take โฃthem all theโ way over there.'” He highlights the vital contributions of immigrantsโฃ toโ American โsociety, โoften unseenโข amidst negative narratives.
the director โfurther articulated the emotional toll on children caught in thes โcircumstances. “Now they haveโ to compromise their innocence to answer for the thingsโ that their parents โdid,” he said, adding, “Nobody’s aโ saint.” When Big People lie aims โขto portray โคthe weight of these โขburdensโข and the resilience required to navigate them.