Darling of the 2002 London Film Festival, Y Tu Mamá También is a sexy and modern coming-of-age road movie from the hands of one of Mexico’s hottest new directors, Alfonso Cuarón. It follows the close friendship of Gael and Diego, two teenage boys from Mexico City who, eschewing higher education and responsibility, set out on a journey to a fictitious beach, ‘Heaven’s Mouth’, hoping to seduce Luisa, a fiancée of one of their older cousins along the way. With the boys determined to live life according to their own rules and with Luisa secretly battling with a personal trauma, this proves to be quite some journey of discovery as an intriguing triangle of twisted relationships develops, changing their lives forever.
The relationship between the two boys is mightily ambiguous, at times they seem like soul mates with a bond based on their mutual love of drugs, sex, masturbation, and freedom, and at others there is a distinct air of something deeper, of homoeroticism perhaps, which is certainly hinted at and half-indulged. Their attempts at seducing Luisa, and in particular the sexual encounters between them, manage to be both sexy and comic. The climax however manages to strip the humour away and leave bare the emotional consequences of their rites of passage, and indeed there is an air of melancholy to the proceedings, an unexpected twist that is profoundly touching.
Boasting a terrifically talented cast, the amusing and unpredictable interplay between the three central characters is executed brilliantly. In addition, the film is cleverly shot, making the most of the tremendous scenery: the dusty roads, the deserted beaches, and the sun-bleached mountains. What also adds a special air throughout is the third-person narration, adding another surprising but welcome change. This is really just a highly entertaining and strongly recommended movie. Incidentally, director Cuarón has been signed up to make the next Harry Potter movie, during which, judging by this, there may well be plenty of bedroom gymnastics and gratuitous wand-waving to come at Hogwarts. |
