Blind Spot: Y Tu Mama Tambien

Of all my blind spot choices this year, this would have to be one of those I’m very excited to watch hence leaving it on for later when I needed the motivation to keep going through the list. I really didn’t know much about it, except it involved a road trip and it starred Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. This movie is quite a sexual coming of age tale.

Tenoch and Julio are friends who got stoned and liked having sex – they got along pretty well and hung out with each other all the time. That one summer while their girlfriends were away, they chanced upon Luisa at a wedding, pretending to have a trip to the beach as a summer getaway and invited her. She bit the invitation, and the two friends immediately launched to their impromptu trip with her, making their itinerary as they go along, considering the spot they told her didn’t exist. What they didn’t know was how this trip was going to turn out not only for Tenoch and Julio, but for Luisa as well. 

The film really picks up when the trio head on their road trip, but the narration of the film provides a bit of a background to their lives and of the country. It helps provide a perspective on where each of them was coming from, sort of like building a portfolio as the narration stated their feelings, facts about themselves and the people surrounding them, and their future, tying together the story to a close. Tenoch and Julio certainly learned a lot about their friendship, that what they displayed to each other was just the shallow parts, that they hadn’t really gone in depth to the kind of friendship they had. It took having Luisa with them to realize what kind of stability they had. While the film really focused on the two men, the subtlety of the importance of the trip to Luisa will come later, and it allows a new view of the film through her eyes – getting things out of her system, trying something new, stepping out of her comfort zone and saying yes to everything. There were certainly clues, but I didn’t really expect it to end that way. 

The three actors were fantastic in their roles. I love how Maribel Verdu handled her character – the maturity of it, and yet being able to get along with two children. Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal certainly acted like children. I would have thought that they behaved similarly when they were younger, they seem to fit their roles like a glove. I liked the way some scenes were shot – particularly the water scenes, whether it was on a pool or the beach.

Final Word: There really isn't something particularly special about this film. It's the storytelling that makes it a great film to watch. 

Cast: Maribel Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Year: 2001