When it comes to portraying Latin Americans in American cinema, production companies seem to get caught up in the same tired and worn-out clichés.

You can almost imagine the studio heads and writers concocting their next big idea with a checklist of Latino stereotypes to recycle.

Should they be illegal? Check.

Should there drug dealers involved? Check.

Should there be families living on top of each other? Check.

And there must be the obligatory Spanglish to remind the world of how Latin Americans must speak in the United States. And, of course, they must be Mexican.

These formulas have become so predictable and worn out that they become borderline insulting in their stereotyping of Latino culture.

Which is why studio heads should pay attention to "Buen Dia, Ramon," a truly charming film that treads similar aforementioned territory, but finds nuanced ways to overturn the formulas.

The film, directed by Mexican Jorge Ramirez Suarez, tells the story of a Mexican who has failed to cross the American border on five different occasions. So seeking out a new fortune to help his family financially, he settles on moving to Germany to find the aunt of one of his close friends. But when he arrives in Germany, he is struck not only by his inability to speak the language but the cultural divergence. Along the way he makes friends and acquaintances that help him find himself in this strange land.

Ramirez Suarez almost acknowledges he is replaying a number of clichés, but he also takes a slight jab at their portrayals. The simple fact Ramon is failing to enter the U.S. is a reminder of how truly difficult it is to cross the border and how many people fail to do so all the time. There are crime lords, but he spends little time on them and never indulges in the violence often associated with them. And then in portraying Ramon's illegal life in Germany, he shapes the narrative in a subtle manner that plays down the angle of his status while emphasizing and embracing his connection with others. And while Ramon possesses a huge family, he is alone in this film, something often neglected in American depictions.

The film itself is a wonder to behold with Kristyan Ferrer as the eponymous character. In his hands, the young is full of innocence, and yet there is a melancholic sense, almost as if he were carrying a burden with him. The load seems to be lightened as the story unravels and he finds his place in Germany, but it never fully abandons him, thus remaining a subtle reminder that this is young man with tremendous responsibilities to live up to. The naivete of Ramon allows for some truly hilarious moments, particularly when he's brought to a brothel.

Opposite Ramon is actress Ingeborg Schoner as Ruth, a lonely German woman who takes in Ramon and helps him find his way. Like Ramon, the viewer gets the sense of a tremendous weight on her shoulders, but she also exhibits a bubbly side that plays well with Ramon's youthful discovery.

This relationship forms the basis of the film, and it is this nontraditional story of friendship and kinship that gives it the power it aims for. The bond is so strong that the film's emotional centerpiece, a scene in which both characters make confessions to one another (despite the fact that neither can actually understand what the other is saying), resonates with a tremendous sense of spirituality. Ramirez Suarez, who has called this scene his favorite, is looking to emphasize that the universal language of humanity is friendship and love, and his execution of this scene brings that idea to beautiful life.

The film is admittedly lacking in traditional suspense or tension until a few predictable twists come into play late in the story. And yet, the film moves at a strong pace, keeping the viewer enthralled by the powerful humanity on display.

It does feel a bit odd to abandon Ramon in the latter stages of the film, especially since it has been his point-of-view that has led the audience through his story, but this is a minor trifle in the overall artistic vision on display.

And for those wondering, Ramirez Suarez also finds a way to subvert genre expectations with regards to the film's conclusion. This story may follow many thematic ideals that are consistent with films about Mexican immigrants, but it takes a wholly new path to getting there.

"Buen Dia, Ramon" is arguably one of the finer portrayals of illegal Mexican immigration in recent years. We have seen this subject explored before but never with the subtlety and nuance that Ramirez Suarez manages. Ferrer and Schoner shine alongside such stars as Adriana Barraza and Arcelia Ramirez in a film with a huge heart.