Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too) Dir: Alfonso Cuaron. Starring: Maribel Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Diana Bracho, Daniel Gimenez Cacho. Much compared with last year's Amores Perros, mainly due to the fact that both were made in Mexico, this covers much lighter territory, and shows a more beautiful side to Mexico than that aforementioned film. A road movie which follows two longterm friends, Tenoch and Julio, as they travel across Mexico with Tenoch's attractive and very recently separated cousin, Luisa, those looking for explosions and excitement may well be disappointed - but anyone who wants to walk out of the cinema feeling oh so relaxed and with a broad smile on their face should see this now.

It's a charmingly fresh coming of age tale about the joys of post-adolescence, and whilst nobody's perfect here - as Luisa says 'you guys are assholes sometimes' - they are so fun to spend time with. Parallel's with Jules et Jim abound - this is about two friends whose relationship is affected by a strong dominant woman, but whilst lacking that film's depth and scale, this is unique in it's sense of wild abandonment and joyously spur of the movement living. And almost better than that classic film. But only almost. And whilst it's a liberating road trip for all involved, it is also shot through with a sense of realism, and grounded in a sense of the inevitable, as friendships and relationships die, and not everything always goes to plan. The film's naturally sexy too, with much nudity, but never exploitatively so. And the female half of the audience will no doubt be glad to hear that you see as much of the men as you do the women. The two leads are so relaxed around each other, and a more realistic friendship is hard to imagine, yet it's the complexities of their friendship which makes for the basis of the film. Their manifesto for life, which they only partly live by, is a perfect example of their immaturity, but also for their love for life, and many will no doubt wish they'd spent their teenage years in such a style. Beautifully shot, And Your Mother Too makes Mexico look like a paradise for once, rather than the dirty, drug crazed and grime filled slums that the majority of US films depict it as. It's an insight in to the culture, and a way of life rarely depicted on the big screen. Thankfully not over stylish, the editing's unobtrusive, and more importance is placed on capturing the beauty of the situation, even if it's not at first immediately apparent. And Your Mother Too is a real rarity - a comedy about teenagers that isn't all about desperately trying to score drugs or sex (as both come along naturally enough) and yet more proof that the best films aren't being made in England or the US. Alex Finch.

GC(uk) Index         Site Map         Links         Discussion Forums         About Us         Link To Us       Adverts        Add a Link           GC(uk) Email          Advanced Site Search

Let Spyonit.com notify you when this page changes!

Search this site! Just type in what you want to find and click the search button.