Y Tu Mamá También
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
- drama
- romance
The story
In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.
What it’s like
Handheld, restless camera that drifts through sun-bleached Mexican highways, crowded beach towns and dim, sweaty bedrooms, with a warm golden cast by day and hot, humid afternoons that feel close enough to touch. The sound is loose and naturalistic: radio pop and rock on the car stereo, cicadas, wind through open windows, and long stretches of ambient street noise, with the score used sparingly. Its vibe is languid, sensual and bittersweet, a summer that has an expiry date, suited to a lazy weekend afternoon, a late-night watch with the windows open, or a long drive of your own. The pacing is loose and digressive, with long conversational scenes and sudden shifts into frankness, and the emotional register swings between playful bravado and quiet melancholy as two young men test their loyalty to each other and to the woman who travels with them, each slowly confronting what they are losing. Intensity is high in sexual content: explicit nudity and graphic sex scenes, including a group-sex sequence, with frank talk about sex throughout; violence is rare and brief, and there is no gore. The mood is adult and candid rather than cozy. It is for viewers who want a sensual, politically aware coming-of-age story with a strong sense of place, and who are comfortable with frank sexual material.
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