Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, Maribel Verdu. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Tenoch (Luna) is the son of a wealthy and corrupt Mexico City politician, enjoying the good life with a big house, big pool and lots of servants. His best friend is Julio (Bernal), a barely middle class city dweller, with a left-wing activist sister and single parent mom. Their girlfriends are leaving for a trip to Italy. They are not too broken up over it - they are eagerly anticipating the summer, and their chance at bagging as many summer girlfriends as possible. There lives revolve around drinking, toking, sex and competing over everything. They go to Tenoch's cousin's wedding and meet Tenoch's cousin Jano. But more intriguingly they meet Jano's wife Luisa (Verdu), a worldly spaniard who teases them by asking them if there any place worth visiting. They make up a story of Heaven's Beach, and although intrigued, she suggests her husband might not approve. Later that week, Luisa changes her mind and decides to take the trip with the boys. The boys grab Julio's sister's car, pick up Luisa and head off into the Mexican countryside heading for the coast. Along the way the three discuss their past love lives and a wide variety of topics about sex, but also some of their hopes, dreams and attitudes towards women and life. And some of the revelations change how they see themselves and how they will live their lives. Compared to the two- guys-one-girl-in-the-middle French classic Jules and Jim, Y Tu Mama Tambien is a smartly-written, vibrant tale not just about three people going on a journey, but about the uncertain future of modern Mexico. Unlike many coming-of-age films produced in North America, the movie is not just about sex and the pursuit of it. The film explores a wide variety of issues, including the huge disparity of wealth between the rich and peasant classes, the corruption of political leaders, infidelity, and the lack of values and direction instilled in young people. Several times along the trip, we see military and police personnel at checkpoints or bullying some peasants in the countryside. The boys themselves have an open disdain for things political, except for their belief left-wing chicks are cute and passionate. During the few moments when they think about the future, Tenoch expresses a desire to write and not take economics to follow in his corrupt father's footsteps. Though, he has no problem enjoying the luxuries his father's activities provide. The film's major thrust focuses on the boys pursuit of sex and their consistent disregard for others. They couldn't care less they have no concept of how to satisfy a woman - they compete over who is the best lover but they really don't care how good they are. And they don't have any concern over consequences or the long term. The sex scenes are graphic but very naturalistic - there is no rock song, no fancy lighting or artistic camera work. And there are a lot of them. In the good old U.S. of A., the film escaped the dreaded, box-office-killing NC-17 rating by being released unrated (I didn't know that was allowed). But they serve to illustrate the consuming desire of the boys, and the desperation of Luisa. The motivation for Luisa's somewhat unrealistic decision to go with the boys to the beach is well laid out, and explained even better at the end of the film. Much of the film's success depends on the acting of the three principals, and they are up to the task. Many of the sex discussions could have degenerated into cliched locker room talk, but instead the light touch and naturalistic style of the actors make them feel real. The age of Luisa and her pursuit of the young boys could have seemed forced, but Maribel Verdu (from the Spanish Belle Epoque) is very believable as the woman with a secret trying to experience something she was never able to experience when she was young. Y Tu Mama Tambien is a well- written, interesting journey for three characters and while everything seems to revolve around sex, class relationships and politics serve as a backdrop to the boys and Luisa's discovering things about themselves and their place in the world. If you can see past the quite graphic sex, it is a fun journey that will enjoy experiencing. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page