Y Tu Mamá También
“a sexual odyssey”
Right from the get-go, in fact, from the very first shot, Y Tu Mamá También immediately establishes itself as a movie that drifts away from the familiar conventions our eyes have been accustomed to seeing whenever a display of physical intimacy is shown. There isn’t lavish mood lighting nor is there the immaculate jawline of an A-list star but instead, and finally, sex is physicalized in an awkward and clunky way.
Now, of course, sex is the first physical act you see but that is just a small dose to perhaps entice the viewer. What lies beneath the pleasure is an honest and raw depiction of three friends falling in and out of love in a summer road trip across a dreamy Mexican landscape.
Alfonso Cuàron’s signature visual storytelling technique is in full force here as we begin to admire the work of a director that will have our eyes gushing with visual thrills for years to come. What Cuàron does best with this particular style is presenting a fully realized world that breathes life in and around the story it's telling, the foreground and background elements in each moving shot, and each frame only reinforce the notion of life between the lenses. The other unique trait Cuàron then instills in this movie is in its long takes, bestowing upon us incredibly rich, choreographed, and detailed sequences that imagine a world beyond the core characters. It’s as if we were watching a moving theatre piece onscreen.
Beyond the ingenious attention to detail and the masterfully wielded sequences lies three characters whom without, this would have been just a pretty experiment. Y Tu Mama También is a purely conversational narrative that comes into fruition with palpable and personable performances from Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, and Maribel Verdú. Each offers their own authenticity to the role but, more astoundingly, each surrender to the rawness of the task at hand. Displaying physical intimacy in a truthful manner can be sometimes uncomfortable for an actor but these three have created a profound and incredibly personal portrayal of this very intimacy that feels utterly relatable. The conversations about love, sex, politics, and plain banter provide transparency between us and them, we can see ourselves in their chats. We get the feeling of freedom and summer through what they share and what they experience. Many films try to capture this raw essence but not many come close to the natural and organic beats Y Tu Mama También generates. There are mistakes and sudden shrills, there are pauses and overlaps, hiccups, and ticks, all of it to incorporate a sense of liberty.
Powerfully intimate, raw and sensitive, Alfon Cuàron has captured the truth of a road trip that feels cathartic and approachable. Riddled with intelligent writing and bravura performances from its leads, Y Tu Mamá También safely staples itself in the hierarchy of best coming-of-age films out there.
