Y Tu Mamá También - Lust for Life

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Movie
German title Y tu mamá también - Lust for Life
Original title Y tu mamá también
Country of production Mexico
original language Spanish
Publishing year 2001
length 101 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Alfonso Cuarón
script Alfonso Cuarón,
Carlos Cuarón
production Alfonso Cuarón,
Jorge Vergara ,
Sergio Agüero ,
Amy Kaufman ,
David Linde
camera Emmanuel Lubezki
cut Alfonso Cuarón,
Alex Rodríguez
occupation

Y tu mamá también - Lust for Life (alternative title: ... with your mother too !; original title: Y tu mamá también ) is a Mexican fictional film from 2001. The youth film was directed by Alfonso Cuarón , who together with his brother Carlos Cuarón also wrote the script. The main roles were played by Diego Luna , Gael García Bernal and Maribel Verdú . Alianza Films International , Anhelo Producciones , Besame Mucho Pictures and Producciones Anhelo produced the tragicomedy.

action

Tenoch and Julio, two teenagers living in Mexico City , have a very good friendship. While Tenoch is the son of a high government official, Julio comes from a working-class family. In the summer of 1999, during the holidays between leaving school and starting their studies, they say goodbye to their friends who are going on a trip to Italy. At a wedding they happened to meet twenty-eight-year-old Luisa, who is married to Tenoch's cousin, a well-known writer. In a hapless attempt to seduce the attractive woman, the two teenagers invite her on a trip to a dreamy beach that they simply invent.

However, when Luisa finds out shortly after that her husband has cheated on her, the two asks if she can accompany her on her trip to the said beach. On the spur of the moment, the three set off. The multi-day trip takes you through southern Mexico ( Oaxaca City ) and finally to the beaches on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca . The vacation is accompanied by the enjoyment of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana and the group spends several nights in hostels along the way. While Luisa is obviously having a hard time coming to terms with the separation from her husband, she seduces both Tenoch and Julio, which initially leads to a conflict. However, this is solved by breaking away from both.

During the trip, the two youngsters admit to each other bit by bit that they have slept with the other's girlfriend several times. This initially leads to a quarrel, but in one excessive night they forgive each other and even drink to the relationship that has developed between them, as well as to the alleged Italian holiday acquaintances of their girlfriends. In this relaxed mood, Julio even confesses to his friend that he slept with his mother, which he only takes in with laughter. On the same night Luisa - contrary to her previous refusal - seduces the two friends into a " hot threesome " at the same time , in which the two boys also kiss. The next morning after this event, the two break off their trip and return home. Luisa, however, prefers to stay on the beaches of Mexico's Pacific coast.

Upon their return, Julio and Tenoch are both abandoned by their friends. They always start new relationships and no longer keep in touch with one another. In the summer of the following year, they happened to meet again on the street and - out of embarrassment for excuses - had a coffee together. Both are about to begin their studies. Tenoch reports that Luisa died of cancer a month after their outing together . She had already known about the illness during the trip, but kept it to herself. After eating in the café, the two friends never see each other again.

title

The eponymous phrase ¡Y tu mamá también! literally means "... and your mom too!" In Mexican Spanish, this phrase is used either to answer a curse and return it in an amplified form, or as a curse on its own. In the film, however, this phrase is used in the literal sense, when Julio reveals to Tenoch towards the end of the film that he slept with his mother.

History of origin

Director Alfonso Cuarón created Y Tu Mamá También - Lust for Life, his first work in his home country Mexico in several years. From the mid-1990s he had had success with films like Little Princess and Great Expectations in the United States, but he wanted to make a film again in Spanish, actually even in the slang of the residents of Mexico City.

Cuarón knew Diego Luna, who finally got the role of Tenoch , was already six years old. On Gael García Bernal, who played Julio , he became aware of his portrayal in Amores Perros ; in addition, Luna and Bernal had known each other since childhood. Cuarón met with García Bernal and Maribel Verdú, who was slated for the role of Luisa , in Madrid . It was decided there to cast the two in their roles. So that the actors would evolve like their roles, Cuarón shot the film in the order of the plot. The film was based on a script, but some of the actors came up with new ideas during the shoot.

reception

sales

The film was released in Mexican cinemas on June 8, 2001. Since it was a success there, theatrical releases followed in several other countries. In the United States alone, he played more than 13 million US dollars a. The film opened in German cinemas on May 2, 2002. The film had already been shown in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland on January 10, 2002. The film has been seen around 27,000 times in Switzerland. The total gross profit of Y Tu Mamá También - Lust for Life is over 33 million US dollars.

Reviews

The film was in the favor of the critics. Roger Ebert gave the film the highest rating and spoke of the birth of a new Mexican cinema. Ebert criticized the US release system for films because Y Tu Mamá También - Lust for Life was not accessible to young people in the United States despite its teenage film character. Few negative voices, such as James Berardinelli, criticized the film for not having an extraordinary plot. "This film is no more dramatic than a road trip, worked up with a spicy dose of sex and nudity." Most of the critics praised the performance. Ebert described the portrayal of Maribel Verdús as the bowl performance - compared to the main female characters in American comedies, it was "[...] wiser, sexier, more complex, happier, sadder."

German-speaking critics were also impressed by the film. The film-dienst said: "Only at first sight a teenage comedy of the tasteless kind, the film soon turns out to be a sarcastic description of the state of everyday life in Mexico, which is characterized by corruption and merciless capitalism."

Awards

The film was awarded over 30 international prizes and nominated for numerous others. Awards include the Screenplay Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Prize for “best young actors” for García Bernal and Luna at the 2001 Venice Film Festival .

At the 2003 Academy Awards , Carlos and Alfonso Cuarón were nominated in the “ Best Original Screenplay ” category. The film had no chance of being nominated as “ best foreign language film ”, because Mexico did not send Y Tu Mamá También - Lust for Life , but Carlos Carrera's The Temptation of Padre Amaro into the running for the Oscar.

The following awards are among the other awards:

Film analysis

In the tradition of French Nouvelle Vague films, the film is partially accompanied by commentary from an omniscient narrator. Since the film is told on several levels, distance is created from the characters.

According to the director, the film tells of the "class society, of the many different Mexicans that coexist at the same time and in the same space, but seemingly unconnected." The last scene of the film, in which Tenoch and Julio want to meet again after a while say that the experience with Luisa changed them both. They have grown up, but have little, if any, contact with one another. The narrator mentions at the end that the two will never see each other again after meeting in the café.

The roaming camera, led by Emmanuel Lubezki , does not stand still during the film. "During a conversation, the camera simply looks out the window, catching details that Luisa and the boys do not notice: scenes of bitter poverty, police roadblocks, car accidents or farmers being arrested." A handheld camera was used because one thought it would Giving actors more freedom.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Julio to Tenoch at 1:29:57 "Que a tu mamá también!"
  2. ↑ a b c BBC.co.uk
  3. ↑ a b The Hollywood Reporter ( September 30, 2007 memento in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Lumiere
  5. ^ Box Office Mojo
  6. ^ A b c Chicago Sun-Times, April 2, 2002
  7. ^ ReelViews
  8. ↑ film service
  9. ^ New York Post at Rotten Tomatoes
  10. ↑ a b The standard
  11. ↑ Interview on indieWire ( Memento from December 28, 2008 in the Internet Archive )