Y Tu Mamá También - How Settings Shape Us
Prisca Afantchao | Nov. 30, 2021Y Tu Mamá También (2001) is one of my all time favorite films. The film follows two teenage boys from very different backgrounds, Julio and Tenoch, as they search for thrills the summer before they enter university. The two best friends are joined by an older woman, Luisa, who is married to Tenoch’s cousin. Painful truths are revealed and hidden, connections are strengthened, tested, and broken, paradise is discovered, and despite the enormity of their adventures the boys manage to reject it all when they return to their homes. As they road trip to a beach called Boca del Cielo (“Heaven’s Mouth”), the story illustrates just how much our realities can change when we leave our usual surroundings, and just how transient and fleeting this change can be. One remarkable thing about this film is the fact that Julio and Tenoch made up Boca del Cielo when they first suggested Luisa should join them on a trip, not expecting her to accept, and they had no idea where the beach was or if they could really find one that matched their fictitious description.