Y Tu Mama Tambien: Grade C

C
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001). (Spanish, subtitled)
Ana Lopez Mercado, Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal. Director Alfonso Cuaron.

In this exploration of sexuality, two young Mexican best friends are confident in their manliness through vigorous, frequent, and casual sex with their girlfriends, who then go away on a trip. The abandoned men/boys go on a symbolic and actual journey with an older woman to a special beach far from the city. Along the way they all talk about sex and body parts, male and female, in a prurient way that does not seem realistic, especially for the woman. The boys are obviously very close friends, but their macho attitude prevents them from being aware of the intimacy of their relationship. Along the way, the older woman seduces them both and the boys learn a great lesson about the fluidity of sexual orientation, which is the main point of the movie. It normalizes same-sex intimacy by demonstrating its continuity with heterosexuality in a plausible, if not entirely convincing way. To that extent the movie is a success in what it sets out to do. But it’s a long way to go for a simple idea, and without the idea, there is really nothing going on. The characters are not believable or engaging. The pace is very slow and the acting is nothing special, although sets and locations are attractive. If you are especially interested in this topic, the film will be absorbing, but otherwise, it is pedestrian.