Latino Themes in “Y Tu Mama Tambien”
Plot Summary
“Y Tu Mama Tambien” is a sort of coming of age comedy, romantic, movie with political commentary undertones. It is the story of two senior high school best friends, Tenoch Iturbide (Diego Luna) -the son of a wealthy diplomat of the dominate political party- and Julio Zapata (Gael García Bernal) –a typical lower-middle class teenager, going on a rode trip with the a very attractive older woman, Ana Morelos (Ana López Mercado) to a secluded and somewhat imaginary beach named “Heavens Mouth”. Each character is at a crossroad in their life. The two boys are facing their last year in high school while Ana is running away form her cheating husband. Together they make the journey to heaven’s mouth learning about love, friendship, sex, and life.
Latino Themes
“Y Tu Mama Tambien” is a fascinating film. It portrays so many different types of themes and morals in a comedic yet heartfelt way. Director Alfonso Cuaron was able to achieve the paradox of Latino Cinema: he made a movie that both truly represented all types of Latinos and Latino culture while maintaing its universal appeal without sacrificing his identity. It consisted of an all Latino cast, was completely in Spanish, yet it was an international sensation. The film touched on many different aspects of Latino culture. The friendship between Tenoch and Julio portrayed how different and yet similar the social classes of Mexico can be and how they view each other. The relationship between Ana and the boys portrayed machismo and its effects on society. When they were traveling though Mexico to “Heavens Mouth” the was a silent and eerie portrayal of the poverty in Mexico. Also the narrators cutting remakes about the society and headlines of the days implied the harmful effects of the corrupted dominate party. I believe that this film was a very true representation of life and culture in Mexico. A viewer can tell that the film is very representative of what Cuaron has witnessed and experience as he grew up in Mexico City, Mexico. One of the reasons this film is so universal yet portrays only one aspect of human culture is that it represents Latino culture in a natural way. When watching the film, one feels as if there are there in the room witnessing the situation in real life. It is not in an in your face movie. The viewer is then is able to extract the similarities of the situations and aspects of the character and apply it to himself/herself. Instead of a portrayal that concentrates on how different Latinos are than other ethnicities, the natural representation lets the viewer see the similarities of human nature which helps break down stereotypes. For example machismo is represented in the fill yet it is in a more natural way and a viewer can see it as a conflict of controlling pride, a problem that all people encounter, not just Latino men. Cuaron has made other films that are more Hollywood, yet he has mad a film that would make any Latino or man proud.
Review of “Y Tu Mama”
Plot Summary
“Y Tu Mama Tambien” is a sort of coming of age comedy, romantic, movie with political commentary undertones. It is the story of two senior high school best friends, Tenoch Iturbide (Diego Luna) -the son of a wealthy diplomat of the dominate political party- and Julio Zapata (Gael García Bernal) –a typical lower-middle class teenager, going on a rode trip with the a very attractive older woman, Ana Morelos (Ana López Mercado) to a secluded and somewhat imaginary beach named “Heavens Mouth”. Each character is at a crossroad in their life. The two boys are facing their last year in high school while Ana is running away form her cheating husband. Together they make the journey to heaven’s mouth learning about love, friendship, sex, and life.
Review
By: Natalie Ramirez
I thought that this was one of the best films that I have seen in a long time. The acting was superb, the cinematography was haunting, and the script was hilarious and real. All of the characters go on an emotional roller coaster and each actor nailed his/her part. The characters and situations seemed so real I felt as if I were going on the rode trip too! Another amazing element of the film is the scenery. The way it is presented it looks as if the landscape was a living creature. The countryside is so beautiful that it absorbs the viewer into the film. Another aspect of the film is how to be so comedic and yet cutting at one’s core. One minute I was laughing at the antics of immature boys than the next contemplating the meaning of life and love. It is a film that one can see again and again and see get something new from it each time. One thing that I didn’t like about the movie was that some parts seemed a little too real. Some of the sex scenes were too explicit for my taste. With that aside, I think it was a remarkable film.
For more information of his career achievements
http://imdb.com/name/nm0190859/