Review of Y Tu Mamá También (2001) by Kylie P — 05 Aug 2009

The first word that came to mind while watching Y Tu Mama Tambien was "intense." There is a level of intensity being explored here that is both engaging and hard to watch: the intensity of young testosterone, the intensity of realizing mortality, the intensity of love. This film's hallmark is the potency of this intensity, brought to a forefront by director Cuaron and made even more real by the performances of the three leads. Though young actors, there was a naturality about Bernal, Luna, and Verdu that drew the viewer in and suspended disbelief quite readily. Their story was real and interesting, and Cuaron amplified this intensity with a varied use of the camera, anywhere from a handheld, docu-style method of shooting to a standard point-and-shoot method focused on each lead's intimate expressions.

Unfortunately, a narrator cuts into the action at odd points to not only provide a third-person omniscient investigation of each of the three primary characters' internal motivations but also to set their story against the backdrop of then-current political turmoil in Mexico. This narration, even though it added some logic to the progression of the storytelling proved to be more distracting than not because first, the sound dropped away dramatically, and there would be a pregnant, few seconds' pause before the melodic voice of the narrator offered his thoughts and observations. Second, the political backdrop was inconsequential and really had nothing to do with the story other than to place it in a period context. These three characters were not concerned with the outer workings of the world, and while that may have been the point, to contrast their naivete and selfishness with the larger shift in political landscapes, a few, minimal comments on the world at large would have sufficed to create that context. After all, if the three main characters did not seem to care about their environment, why should the viewer? It felt trite and pedantic to include such commentary, unless Cuaron aimed to have the picture be a social commentary piece.

Also, there are some graphic sex scenes in this film, the sheer number of which felt a bit too much. On the one hand, the number belied the ultimate lesson that the boys seem to learn, which is not to treat sex merely as a tool or a quick ride on a willing pony but to treat it as an experience. On the other hand, the learning of this lesson and the boys' ultimate path to coming to grips with it felt ultimately unsatisfying, in that their reunion scene during the denoument of the film was given a short-shrift in narration.

Indeed, the most compelling story belonged to the character of Luisa. It was her story, and her ending, that gave the film a sense of meaning to me; the boys, therefore, were mere accessories, even if the lessons being learned were theirs to absorb. It was Verdu's performance and Cuaron's deft handling of that performance that rendered the film as engaging as it was.