Alfonso Cuarón: Film Analysis

Y tu mamá también showcased Mexican cinema in an interesting light. Made during a time of a major political event, Alfonso Cuarón showed a journey between three protagonist on a roadtrip to encounter the “fictional” Heaven’s Mouth. Along the way, the characters undergo obstacles that threaten the friendship between Tenoch and Julio but undergo a transformative journey. With the usage of narration, characters, and plot and cinematic devices, Cuarón was able to show Mexico’s political, economic and class issues in Y tu mamá también. As the film went on, Y tu mamá también showed the changing political landscape that took place during filming. The character of Tenoch came from an corrupt, upper-class, political family whom had to move out of Mexico for a while. Meanwhile, Julio came from a lower class family. Both characters are unaware of the things going on around them, living in their own bubble. However, political protests are happening around them with Julio’s sister protesting. A notable device used to …show more content…
The main characters, Tenoch and Julio, come from different spectrums of society, rich and poor. Tenoch previously wanted to be a literature major but had to switch to an economic major due to his political dad but most likely due to his family’s corrupt status. Around two-third of the film, Chuy, a fourth-generation local living near Heaven’s Mouth, is introduced. The narrator reveals that in a few years, the beach area would turn into a resort. Chuy thought he would be able to maintain a tourist job but had to settle with a janitorial job in order to earn money. This shows how corporations are slowly building over indigenous land in Mexico and how Mexico refuses to acknowledge the other side of the country, killing the resources of villagers. As the movie progresses, the wandering camera shows the environments go from cities to rural villages which showcases the poverty in