(l-R)Sergio Guerrero, Yareli Arizmendi, and Sergio Arau. photo by Geoffrey L. Garfield.

On May 14th there will be no Mexicans in California.

That is what the billboard read over the 405 freeway that so offended a Latina it had to be removed. The billboard was part of a marketing campaign for the film A Day Without a Mexican that posits the question, 'what would happen if everyone of Mexican and Latino descent literally disappeared from California?'  We're talking about 14 million people, one-third of California's population.  It would be a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions economically, politically, and socially for the fifth largest economy in the world. 

A Day Without a Mexican is not a Hollywood film with a predictable plot and lack of soul.  This is a film with heart.  A labor of love, it took the filmmakers $1.5 million of personal and private funds and two-and-a-half years to make.  The film employs a dynamic mix of stylistic choices and genres (part-mockumentary and part-narrative) to entertain, to provoke thought and to spark a dialogue about race.

Forget the war in Iraq

(l-R)Yeniffer Behrens, Sergio Arau and Eduardo Palomo

, we have more pressing problems here at home like the economy, health care, education, the environment and yes, race. Why is it so hard for us Americans to speak of race when we are compromised of so many races?  Why not look at what every race has to offer versus promoting ignorance and intolerance?  Instead of focusing on the few million dollars that undocumented workers cost Americans each year, why not focus on the millions of dollars more that these workers contribute to the economy?  More importantly, this is not game of statistics, but rather a matter of humanity. 

"The most important thing is that we are human beings," says Sergio Arau, the film's director, co-writer and co-producer. 

An established artist and musician in his own right, Sergio, son of critically acclaimed director Alfonso Arau, makes his foray into movies with this his first feature-length film.  Not afraid to take on serious and political issues with the use of humor, Arau creates a film that breaks down stereotypes, dispels myths and

Mary Beth Scher and Maureen Flannigan as Mary Jo Quintana

educates with facts, pointing out the obvious-- all Latinos are not Mexican and Latinos don't just work as gardeners, cooks and house servants, but also work as journalists, teachers, politicians and business owners among other professions. 

Although the film makes us laugh and think throughout, the ending is heartfelt and the message is clear:  Mexicans, Latinos and immigrants in general are human and not invisible beasts of burden. 

"How do you make the invisible visible?  You take it away," says Yareli Arizmendi, the film's lead actress, co-writer and co-producer, also known for her portrayal of Rosaura in Like Water for Chocolate.

Arizmendi's mantra comes from the old adage 'you don't know what you have until it's gone,'and it is precisely this idea and sentiment that the filmmakers want us to walk away with-- knowing and feeling that immigrants, legal or illegal, are indispensable not only to our economy but to our very way of life. 

"I believe this film will make a better place for my kids," says Sergio Guerrero, the film's co-writer, second-unit director and one of the top directors of Spanish-language television commercials. 

A Day Without a Mexican opens on May 14.  For more details, visit the film's Website at www.adaywithoutamexican.com.

Ricardo Acuña at writericardoacuna@socal.com.