Y tu mamá también
Encyclopedia
Y tu mamá también is a 2001 Mexican comedy-drama film
directed by Alfonso Cuarón
, and co-written by Cuarón and his brother Carlos
. The film is a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys taking a road trip
with a woman in her late twenties; it stars Mexican actors Diego Luna
and Gael García Bernal
and Spanish
actress Maribel Verdú
in the leading roles. The film, a road movie
, is set in 1999, against the backdrop of the political and economic realities of present-day Mexico, specifically at the end of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party
, and the rise of the opposition headed by Vicente Fox
.
The film is known for its controversial, unabashed depiction of sexuality
, which caused complications in the film's rating certificate in various countries. The film was released in English-speaking markets under its original Spanish title, rather than the literal translation to English, and opened in a limited release
in the United States in 2002. In Mexico, the film took in $2.2 million in its first weekend in June 2001, making it the highest box office
opening in Mexican cinema history.
In the United States, the film went on to gain nominations for Best Original Screenplay
at the Academy Awards
, as well as a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
at the Golden Globe Awards that year.
The story itself focuses on two boys at the threshold of adulthood: Julio (Gael García Bernal
), from a leftist middle-class family, and Tenoch (Diego Luna
), whose father is a high-ranking political official. The film opens with scenes of each boy having sex with his girlfriend one last time before the girls leave on a trip to Italy. Without their girlfriends around, the boys quickly become bored. At a wedding, they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú
), the Spanish wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano, and attempt to impress the older woman with talk of an invented, secluded beach called la Boca del Cielo ("Heaven's Mouth"). She initially declines their invitation to go there with them, but changes her mind following a phone call in which Jano tearfully confesses cheating on her.
Although Julio and Tenoch have little idea where to find the promised beach, the three set off for it, driving through poor, rural Mexico. They pass the time by talking about their relationships and sexual experiences, with the boys largely boasting about their modest exploits, and Luisa speaking in more measured terms about Jano and wistfully of her first love, who died in a motorcycle accident when she was a teenager. On an overnight stop, she telephones Jano, leaving a "goodbye note" on his answering machine. Tenoch goes to her motel room looking for shampoo, but finds her crying. She seduces him, and he awkwardly but enthusiastically has sex with her. Julio sees this from the open doorway, and angrily tells Tenoch that he's had sex with his girlfriend. The next day, Luisa tries to even the score by having sex with Julio; Tenoch then reveals he had sex with Julio's girlfriend. The boys begin to fight, until Luisa threatens to leave them.
By chance they find an isolated beach. They gradually relax and enjoy the beach and the company of a local family. In the nearby village, Luisa makes a final phone call to Jano, bidding him an affectionate but final farewell. That evening, the three drink excessively and joke recklessly about their sexual transgressions, revealing that the two boys have frequently had sex with the same women (their girlfriends, as well as Luisa). "Y tu mamá también," Julio jests to Tenoch. The three dance together sensually, then retire to their room. They begin to undress and grope drunkenly, both boys focusing their attentions on Luisa. As she kneels and stimulates them both, they grasp and kiss each other passionately.
The next morning, Luisa rises early, leaving the boys to wake up together, naked. They immediately turn away from each other, and are eager to return home. The narrator explains that they did so quietly and uneventfully, but Luisa stayed behind to explore the nearby coves. He further relates that the boys' girlfriends broke up with them, they started dating other girls, and they stopped seeing each other.
The final scene follows a chance encounter a year later, in 2000, the year that the Institutional Revolutionary Party
lost the first election in 71 years. They are having a perfunctory cup of coffee together, catching up on each other's lives and news of their friends. Tenoch informs Julio that Luisa died of cancer a month after their trip, and that she knew she was ill the whole time that the three were together. Tenoch excuses himself, and they never see each other again.
All of the film's principal characters share surnames with protagonists from Mexico's history: Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés
, Mexican emperor Agustín de Iturbide
, Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata
, Mexican president Francisco Madero, and Aztec ruler Tenoch
.
reported that 91% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based upon a sample of 126. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average
score of 88, based on 35 reviews. Roger Ebert
gave the film four stars out of four, and referred to it as "One of those movies where 'after that summer, nothing would ever be the same again.' Yes, but it redefines 'nothing.'"
Y tu mamá también won awards such as the Venice Film Festival
's Best Screenplay award. It was also a runner-up for the National Society of Film Critics
Awards for Best Picture and Best Director and was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay. The film made its U.S. premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival
.
Film rating systems in various countries treated the film very differently; it was released without a rating in the U.S. because the distributors believed that a market-limiting NC-17 would be unavoidable. Ratings boards in countries such as France
and the Netherlands
regarded the film fit to be seen by twelve-year-olds. The MPAA's presumed treatment of this film based on the depiction of sexuality – especially in comparison to its much more accepting standards regarding violence – prompted critic Roger Ebert
to question why movie industry professionals were not outraged: "Why do serious film people not rise up in rage and tear down the rating system that infantilizes their work?"
Nominations
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican film director, screenwriter and film producer, best known for his films Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y tu mamá también, and A Little Princess.- Early life :...
, and co-written by Cuarón and his brother Carlos
Carlos Cuarón
Carlos José Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is the brother of Alfonso Cuarón.- Biography :Carlos Cuarón was born in Mexico City and studied English literature at UNAM...
. The film is a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys taking a road trip
Road trip
A road trip is any journey taken on roads, regardless of stops en route. Typically, road trips are long distances traveled by automobile.-Pre-automobile road trips:...
with a woman in her late twenties; it stars Mexican actors Diego Luna
Diego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
and Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
actress Maribel Verdú
Maribel Verdú
Maribel Verdú is a Spanish actress. She is known to English-speaking audiences for playing Luisa in the 2001 film Y tu mamá también and Mercedes in Guillermo del Toro's 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth. In Spain she is known for films such as Belle Époque, Tetro, and Huevos de oro.Verdú was born María...
in the leading roles. The film, a road movie
Road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually leave home to escape their current lives.-History:...
, is set in 1999, against the backdrop of the political and economic realities of present-day Mexico, specifically at the end of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
, and the rise of the opposition headed by Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
.
The film is known for its controversial, unabashed depiction of sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, which caused complications in the film's rating certificate in various countries. The film was released in English-speaking markets under its original Spanish title, rather than the literal translation to English, and opened in a limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
in the United States in 2002. In Mexico, the film took in $2.2 million in its first weekend in June 2001, making it the highest box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
opening in Mexican cinema history.
In the United States, the film went on to gain nominations for Best Original Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. Before 1940, there was an Academy Award for Best Story for writing. For 1940, it and the award in this article were separated into two awards. Beginning with the...
at the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, as well as a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
at the Golden Globe Awards that year.
Plot
The film combines straightforward storytelling with periodic interruptions of the soundtrack, during which the action continues, but a narrator provides additional details and context about the characters, events, or setting depicted. In addition to expanding on the narrative, these "footnotes" sometimes draw attention to economic/political issues in Mexico, especially the situation of the poor in rural areas of the country.The story itself focuses on two boys at the threshold of adulthood: Julio (Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
), from a leftist middle-class family, and Tenoch (Diego Luna
Diego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
), whose father is a high-ranking political official. The film opens with scenes of each boy having sex with his girlfriend one last time before the girls leave on a trip to Italy. Without their girlfriends around, the boys quickly become bored. At a wedding, they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú
Maribel Verdú
Maribel Verdú is a Spanish actress. She is known to English-speaking audiences for playing Luisa in the 2001 film Y tu mamá también and Mercedes in Guillermo del Toro's 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth. In Spain she is known for films such as Belle Époque, Tetro, and Huevos de oro.Verdú was born María...
), the Spanish wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano, and attempt to impress the older woman with talk of an invented, secluded beach called la Boca del Cielo ("Heaven's Mouth"). She initially declines their invitation to go there with them, but changes her mind following a phone call in which Jano tearfully confesses cheating on her.
Although Julio and Tenoch have little idea where to find the promised beach, the three set off for it, driving through poor, rural Mexico. They pass the time by talking about their relationships and sexual experiences, with the boys largely boasting about their modest exploits, and Luisa speaking in more measured terms about Jano and wistfully of her first love, who died in a motorcycle accident when she was a teenager. On an overnight stop, she telephones Jano, leaving a "goodbye note" on his answering machine. Tenoch goes to her motel room looking for shampoo, but finds her crying. She seduces him, and he awkwardly but enthusiastically has sex with her. Julio sees this from the open doorway, and angrily tells Tenoch that he's had sex with his girlfriend. The next day, Luisa tries to even the score by having sex with Julio; Tenoch then reveals he had sex with Julio's girlfriend. The boys begin to fight, until Luisa threatens to leave them.
By chance they find an isolated beach. They gradually relax and enjoy the beach and the company of a local family. In the nearby village, Luisa makes a final phone call to Jano, bidding him an affectionate but final farewell. That evening, the three drink excessively and joke recklessly about their sexual transgressions, revealing that the two boys have frequently had sex with the same women (their girlfriends, as well as Luisa). "Y tu mamá también," Julio jests to Tenoch. The three dance together sensually, then retire to their room. They begin to undress and grope drunkenly, both boys focusing their attentions on Luisa. As she kneels and stimulates them both, they grasp and kiss each other passionately.
The next morning, Luisa rises early, leaving the boys to wake up together, naked. They immediately turn away from each other, and are eager to return home. The narrator explains that they did so quietly and uneventfully, but Luisa stayed behind to explore the nearby coves. He further relates that the boys' girlfriends broke up with them, they started dating other girls, and they stopped seeing each other.
The final scene follows a chance encounter a year later, in 2000, the year that the Institutional Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
lost the first election in 71 years. They are having a perfunctory cup of coffee together, catching up on each other's lives and news of their friends. Tenoch informs Julio that Luisa died of cancer a month after their trip, and that she knew she was ill the whole time that the three were together. Tenoch excuses himself, and they never see each other again.
Cast
- Maribel VerdúMaribel VerdúMaribel Verdú is a Spanish actress. She is known to English-speaking audiences for playing Luisa in the 2001 film Y tu mamá también and Mercedes in Guillermo del Toro's 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth. In Spain she is known for films such as Belle Époque, Tetro, and Huevos de oro.Verdú was born María...
as Luisa Cortés - Gael García BernalGael García BernalGael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
as Julio Zapata - Diego LunaDiego LunaDiego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
as Tenoch Iturbide - Diana BrachoDiana BrachoDiana Bracho is a Mexican film, television and stage actress.-Early life:Diana Bracho is the daughter of actor/director Julio Bracho, the niece of actress Andrea Palma and the mother of actor Julio Bracho . She married Dr. Felipe Bracho, a university professor. They have a daughter, Andrea...
as Silvia Allende de Iturbide - Andrés Almeida as Diego "Saba" Madero
- Ana López Mercado as Ana Morelos
- Nathan Grinberg as Manuel Huerta
- Verónica Langer as María Eugenia Calles de Huerta
- María Aura as Cecilia Huerta
- Juan Carlos Remolina as Alejandro "Jano" Montes de Oca
- Daniel Giménez CachoDaniel Giménez CachoDaniel Giménez Cacho is a Spanish-born Ariel award winner Mexican actor who has starred in several Mexican films such as Solo con tu pareja, Cronos, Midaq Alley and Arráncame la Vida, among others as well as in Spanish Films and TV shows.He is known for having worked with some of the most...
(uncredited voice) as Narrator
All of the film's principal characters share surnames with protagonists from Mexico's history: Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, Mexican emperor Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...
, Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910, and which was initially directed against the president Porfirio Díaz. He formed and commanded an important revolutionary force, the Liberation Army of the South, during the Mexican Revolution...
, Mexican president Francisco Madero, and Aztec ruler Tenoch
Tenoch
Tenoch was a ruler of the Aztecs during the fourteenth century during the Aztec travels from Aztlán to Tenochtitlan.- Biography :Tenoch was a respected chief who was elected to power by the council of elders. Tenoch have died 1375....
.
Reception
Y tu mamá también was well-received by critics upon its original release. The film ranking website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 91% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based upon a sample of 126. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 88, based on 35 reviews. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film four stars out of four, and referred to it as "One of those movies where 'after that summer, nothing would ever be the same again.' Yes, but it redefines 'nothing.'"
Y tu mamá también won awards such as the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
's Best Screenplay award. It was also a runner-up for the National Society of Film Critics
National Society of Film Critics
The National Society of Film Critics is an American film critic organization. As of December 2007 the NSFC had approximately 60 members who wrote for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers.-History:...
Awards for Best Picture and Best Director and was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay. The film made its U.S. premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
.
Film rating systems in various countries treated the film very differently; it was released without a rating in the U.S. because the distributors believed that a market-limiting NC-17 would be unavoidable. Ratings boards in countries such as France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
regarded the film fit to be seen by twelve-year-olds. The MPAA's presumed treatment of this film based on the depiction of sexuality – especially in comparison to its much more accepting standards regarding violence – prompted critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
to question why movie industry professionals were not outraged: "Why do serious film people not rise up in rage and tear down the rating system that infantilizes their work?"
Awards
Wins- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language FilmNew York Film Critics Circle AwardsNew York Film Critics' Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. It is considered one of the most important precursors to the Academy Awards....
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film
- Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign FilmIndependent Spirit Award for Best Foreign FilmThe Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.-1980s:* 1985: Kiss of the Spider Woman - Hector Babenco • Brazil/USA** Dreamchild • France/UK** The Hit • UK...
Nominations
- Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay - Carlos CuarónCarlos CuarónCarlos José Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is the brother of Alfonso Cuarón.- Biography :Carlos Cuarón was born in Mexico City and studied English literature at UNAM...
and Alfonso CuarónAlfonso CuarónAlfonso Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican film director, screenwriter and film producer, best known for his films Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y tu mamá también, and A Little Princess.- Early life :... - BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay - Carlos Cuarón and Alfonso Cuarón
- BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language
- Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
- Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Accolades
- Ranked #20 in EmpireEmpire (magazine)Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
magazines "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema". - Ranked #9 in Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationLos Angeles Film Critics AssociationThe Los Angeles Film Critics Association was founded in 1975. Its main purpose is to present yearly awards to members of the film industry who have excelled in their fields. These awards are presented each January...
's "Films of the Decade". - New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
's "The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made ". - Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
's "25 Sexiest Movies Ever!".