These simple revelations by the voiceover narrator reveal the undeniable division between classes and attitudes in the country, despite an image that they live harmoniously together. On the other hand, Julio tries to fit in with the upper class, lighting a match to mask the smell after using the restroom at Tenoch’s house. It is revealed that Tenoch uses his foot to lift up the toilet in Julio’s house, something he also does at the cheap motel, exemplifying his degrading attitude towards the working class. The two protagonists are inherently bonded thanks to this manifesto, despite their drastically different home lives.Īlthough overt clashes never occur between the classes, the tensions still deeply penetrate the film and its characters. If any of the rules are broken, they lose the title of “charolastra”. The two boys are “charolastras” and have proclaimed, among other things, that a hit is happiness, morals are less important than jerk offs, one must never marry a virgin or screw the other’s girl, and although truth is great, it is unachievable. They even reveal to her their Manifesto, signed in blood. They pass exaggerated tales back and forth, bragging about their sexuality and their partying in hopes of impressing the fantasy woman who has somehow found her way into their car. Tenoch and Julia attempt to put on a façade of knowledge and masculine control, sticking to the story that Heaven’s Mouth in fact exists. But due to circumstances beyond her control, including an intoxicated admission by her husband that he has been unfaithful, Luisa decides a road trip with two rambunctious teens may be just what she needs. They invite her on a made-up road trip to a fictitious beach called Heaven’s Mouth, purely as an act of both jest and domination, expecting to be disregarded. Tenoch and Julio begin to drunkenly and clumsily flirt with her in an almost predatory fashion. She is seen in a clingy white dress that leaves little to the imagination. Instead they live in their very own testosterone filled bubble.Īt a bridal party they end up meeting Tenoch’s cousin’s wife, Luisa. But the boys choose to disregard their overtly political, corrupt and even disturbingly unequal surroundings. Even Tenoch’s name is inherently political. The boys show contempt at the protests occurring in Mexico City, although Julio’s sister is an activist demanding change. Tenoch doesn’t want to enroll in economics, although ends up pursuing this route on the orders of his corrupt Harvard educated politician father. Neither of the boys care much about politics, although the issue permeates every facet of their lives and is oftentimes reflected in them and their interactions. Throughout the film it becomes clear that, more than anything, Tenoch and Julio are on a journey to find themselves, trying to become what they think is “cool” and “manly”, and more often than not contradicting these conceptions. The two boys’ girlfriends are on their way to Europe for the summer, leaving the protagonists to maneuver their way through a summer filled with theoretical sex, drugs, masturbation and alcohol. The audience is immediately aware of the differences between these two best friends, as a recurring voiceover explains that Tenoch-a boy from an upper class political family-is allowed to spend the night with his girlfriend, whereas Julio must return in the evening to his working class mother. We are first introduced to Tenoch (Diego Luna) as we watch him having sex with his equally libidinous girlfriend, quickly followed by a scene of Julio (Gael García Bernal) following suit. However, the detail and grace that Cuarón pays to these characters and their country results in a much more affecting and even tragic journey than the typical genre film. The plot seems to be a perfect equation for the latest Mexican sex comedy. On a surface level, Y Tu Mamá También is a quintessential road movie, following two pubescent, sticky teenage boys accompanied by an unlikely bedfellow in the form of a married Spaniard named Luisa. Although the scenery in Y Tu Mamá También, especially scenes on a phantom beach called “Heaven’s Mouth”, is breathtakingly stunning, Cuarón is careful to point out that this “beautiful” country as Luisa calls it not only exudes life, but also death. Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También, often remembered by viewers as a boundary pushing coming of age story, is equally as much a deeply perceptive portrayal of Mexico and a few of its inhabitants. It exudes life everywhere.” So says dental hygienist and sex-goddess Luisa Cortés (Maribel Verdú). “You are lucky to live in a country like this…Mexico. Revisiting ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’: A Political Perspective Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal in Y Tu MamaTambien
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