Y Tu Mama Tambien

Y Tu Mamá También is an intelligent and sensual road movie directed by Alfonso Cuarón and co-written by him and his brother Carlos. It was a box office success abroad and in its native Mexico, but was vilified by established Mexican critics. Paul Julian Smith's study argues that the film addresses major issues such as gender, race, class, and space, and that its casual aesthetic masks a sophisticated audiovisual style. Smith suggests that the film remains an example for world cinema of how a very local film can connect with a global audience.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 104 pages
Publication date: 08 September 2022
Publisher: British Film Institute

Y Tu Mamá También (2001), a remarkable and captivating road movie directed by Alfonso Cuarón and co-written by him and his brother Carlos, stands as a testament to the director's remarkable talent and subsequent Oscar wins. This film not only achieved critical acclaim but also enjoyed immense box office success both internationally and in its native Mexico, where it became the highest-grossing local film of all time. The teenage protagonists, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, went on to become major stars of global cinema.

However, upon its release, the film faced significant criticism from established Mexican critics, who labeled it a crude comedy and a Penthouse-like fantasy of youthful lust for an older woman. Paul Julian Smith's comprehensive study of Y Tu Mamá También delves into the depths of the film, revealing its playful seriousness in addressing major issues such as gender, race, class, and space, which are even more relevant today than they were during its initial release. What sets Smith's analysis apart is his recognition of the film's seemingly casual aesthetic, which masks a sophisticated audiovisual style that seamlessly blends popular genre film and auteurist experimentation.

Smith argues that Y Tu Mamá También remains an exemplary work for world cinema, showcasing how a locally crafted film can connect with a global audience that may be unaware of such nuances. By combining production and distribution history, based on unexplored material held in Mexico City archives, with close textual analysis, Smith makes a compelling argument for Cuarón's film as an enduring masterpiece that remains hidden in plain sight, disguised as an ephemeral teen movie.

Weight: 170g
Dimension: 135 x 189 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839025204