Movie of the Week – Y Tu Mama Tambien

This week’s movie: Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

Best friends Tenoch and Julio are having a somewhat boring summer with their girlfriends away in Europe; however when an attractive older woman named Luisa takes them up on an offer to embark on a road trip to a remote beach, the two jump at the opportunity. The road trip becomes much more, testing the limits of their friendship.

The film is auteur Alfonso Cuaron’s breakthrough release, garnering international praise leading to him being hired to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Cuaron works with his usual collaborators including co-writer Carlos Cuaron and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, as well as production designers Marc Bedia and Miguel Angel Alvarez.

It stars Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Maribel Verdu.

Y Tu Mama Tambien has a lot of the same energy and comedy found in Cuaron’s early work, particularly Love in the Time of Hysteria. The film, though, is much more philosophically deep and features wonderfully developed characters. If anything, it is a character piece about two young men leaving adolescence and becoming adults. There are growing pains during this transition as we change and are awoken to new experiences and parts of ourselves. Even the best of friends can grow apart during this transition. The film features resonating drama and very funny moments, both of which speak to the audience as they draw upon their own experiences growing up. It is a superb film from one of the best active writer-directors working today.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

Movie of the Week – The Science of Sleep

This week’s movie is The Science of Sleep (2006).

The dramedy is about Stephen, a young man who has a vivid imagination and cannot tell the difference between his dreams and reality. He moves back to Paris after the death of his father and meets a young French woman, who is also his neighbor. He falls for the girl, Stephanie, due to his believing that they are kindred spirits and feels like he can show her his world. It is written and directed by Michel Gondry and thus is very artistic, blending stop-motion animation, paper mache, and other forms of naturalistic effects, which gives the film a very interesting vibe. What I find most alluring is that even though the film is crazy and out there the dream world still feels natural and a part of the narrative and even fits in with the real world of the characters. The score by Jean-Michel Bernard is wonderful and fitting as well, as is the work of cinematographer Jean-Louis Bompoint. But, it is the creativity and amazing aesthetics employed by Gondry and production designers Ann Chakraverty, Pierre Pell, and Stephane Rosenbaum that make this a truly special film. The cast is also fantastic. Gael Garcia Bernal is very energetic and funny and Charlotte Gainsbourg matches him quite well. Alain Chabat, Emma de Caunes, Aurelia Petit, and Sacha Bourdo make up a good supporting group. The performances are so genuine. This is a must see for fans of Gondry’s work, as it is very inventive and fanatic. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD, Streaming and to Rent