Perhaps because I'm a male, the film didn't offer any surprising insights into the hormone-saturated workings of the minds of teenage boys. The two characters are driven by drugs and sex, and are only occasionally distracted by something of substance. They - like all kids of their age - live in the moment. Yesterday is a fading memory and tomorrow is less tangible than a dream. Today is all that matters. The more interesting character inhabiting Cuar�n's fantasy is Luisa, who has her reasons for being an unlikely companion to Julio and Tenoch. She has thrown off the shackles of an unhappy marriage for a plunge into the Epicurean lifestyle. There appears to be more motivating her than a surge of twenty-something ennui, but it isn't until the end of the film that we find out exactly what that is. She wants to do something different - to be vital, sexy, and wanted.
Y tu mam� tambi�n doesn't shy away from graphic depictions of sex, and there's plenty of nudity to tantalize anyone who gets tired reading the subtitles. Unburdened by the commercially-driven motivations of Hollywood, the director can show things that he never would have been able to had the film been bankrolled by a studio. Although he's not quite as explicit as French director Catherine Breillat (Romance, Fat Girl), there are times when he comes close. Y tu mam� tambi�n depicts full frontal male and female nudity, simulated intercourse, fellatio, cunnilingus, and masturbation. And there's a little homoeroticism thrown in for good measure. Cuar�n's frank attitude towards sexuality is in stark contrast to that of mainstream American teen movies, which reduce sex to something naughty and cute in order to achieve a PG-13 rating.
Those expecting Y tu mam� tambi�n to be a film of great significance will be disappointed. Despite being subtitled and having won raves at international film festivals, this movie doesn't deliver anything more dramatic than a road trip garnished with an aggressive portion of sex and nudity. It's well-acted, but there's not much in the way of a plot. Cuar�n throws in some politics concerning the economic rift between the middle-class and those living in poverty, but doesn't dwell on the situation or its ramifications. If the movie has a statement to make, it's that one can only live in the moment for so long (the epilogue emphasizes this). The experience is too intense and the passions are too raw. But that's something all of us who have lived through our teenage years, and emerged relatively unscathed, know all too well.