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51-448: Nuevo Cine Mexicano , also referred to as New Mexican Cinema is a Mexican film movement started in the early 1990s. Filmmakers, critics, and scholars consider Nuevo Cine Mexicano a "rebirth" of Mexican cinema because of the production of higher-quality films. This rebirth led to high international praise as well as box-office success, unseen since the golden age of Mexican cinema of the 1930s to 1960s. The quality of Mexican films suffered in

102-472: A 1962 French New Wave film, as a crucial inspiration for Y tu mamá también . Overlaps include a road trip featuring a love triangle, wide shots of a car curving down a road, an omniscient narrator, and a character dancing while staring into the camera. In Y tu mamá también , Alfonso Cuarón reimagined the American road movie genre to depict Mexico's geography, politics, people, and culture. Cuarón wanted to use

153-518: A background of what Mexico is and is not. The two main male characters in the film differ in their social standings because of their families' political connections. What ultimately breaks their friendship apart is having sex with one another. Within Nuevo Cine Mexicano, filmmakers try to portray such social and economic troubles within Mexico through different perspectives, which commonly goes against

204-575: A documentary-realist style of filmmaking for Y tu mamá también . Before making the film, Cuarón had worked for some time in Hollywood, prior to return to his roots in Mexican cinema. In an interview, Cuarón said: "I wanted to make the film I was going to make before I went to film school, ...a film in Spanish, and a road movie involving a journey to the beach." Additionally, Cuarón has cited Adieu Philippine ,

255-765: A global success after its distribution by U.S. independent companies Good Machine and IFC Films . The film grossed $ 13.8 million in the US and Canada, making it the second-highest grossing Spanish language film in the United States at the time, and poised Bernal for crossover success into American markets (Bernal's 2004 performance in The Motorcycle Diaries would go on to break this record). It grossed $ 33.6 million worldwide. Critically, Y tu mamá también garnered acclaim upon its original release. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 91% of critics gave

306-703: A greater influence of European cinema . The most representative films of this trend are the films of Carlos Reygadas ( Japón and Battle in Heaven ), whose use of non-professional actors was influenced by Italian neorealism . Other films include: Mil nubes de paz cercan el cielo, amor, jamás acabarás de ser amor ( A Thousand Clouds of Peace Fence the Sky, Love; Your Being Love Will Never End ) and El cielo dividido ( Broken Sky ), directed by Julián Hernández , and Sangre , directed by Amat Escalante and produced by Jaime Romandía and Reygadas. Luchador films One of

357-471: A majority of Nuevo Cine Mexicano is. Production studios normally fund one to two million dollars per film, due to the lack of mainstream production. The influence of " NAFTAtrade and tax policies" made it harder for the public to fund such productions. Women are statistically underrepresented in creative positions like the called " celluloid ceiling " of the underrepresentation of women in hiring and employment in Hollywood. However it has been improving; two of

408-418: A motorcycle accident. During an overnight stop, Luisa leaves a tearful message on Jano's answering machine explaining that she has left him. Tenoch enters her motel room in search of shampoo but finds her crying. She seduces him and the two have sex. Julio sees them through the open door and, upset, walks away. He later tells Tenoch he had sex with Tenoch's girlfriend. The next day, Luisa notices tension between

459-487: A phone call from a drunken Jano, who tearfully confesses that he cheated on her. The next day, she calls Tenoch and asks if their offer to accompany them to the beach is still open. Although Julio and Tenoch have little idea where they will actually go, the three set off and drive through rural Mexico. They talk about their relationships and sexual experiences to pass the time; the boys boast about their exploits, while Luisa speaks of Jano and recalls her first love, who died in

510-509: Is 1962's Santo vs. Las Mujeres Vampiro ("Samson vs. the Vampire Women"), which was featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Las Luchadoras ("The Wrestling Women") appeared in six films, the most famous being The Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy (1964) and Doctor of Doom (1962). The popularity of lucha films started to decline by the mid-1970s and essentially came to

561-403: Is a Mexican film?"—is it Mexican film because of who makes or stars in it, or because it takes place in Mexico. The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema occurred from the 1930s to the 1960s, afterward, a period of low-budget B-movies funded by the state of Mexico was the primary source for films for the Mexican public. A resurgence of Mexican cinema was believed to occur in the 1970s, however, its success

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612-404: Is a reoccurring theme within Nuevo Cine Mexicano, including the films Y Tu Mamá También, El crimen del Padre Amaro (2002), and Amores Perros. Though the films touch on the "socio-geographic divisions" of Mexico in different ways. In Amores Perros , the economic divisions are portrayed through the differences between the main characters' homes. El Chivo lives in a "seedy residence" which that

663-512: Is juxtaposed with his daughter's "respectable home". With El crimen del padre Amaro ( The Crime of Father Amaro ) the traditions of the Catholic Church, which remains a prominent influence in Mexico, is questioned when a young priest has sex with a teenager leading to her death from an abortion. Other subjects such as homosexuality and political corruption are briefly touched on in Y Tu Mamá También ( And Your Mother Too ), helping to set up

714-436: Is unclear whether he is serious. The three dance together sensually and then retire to their room. As Luisa kneels between the boys and stimulates them both, they embrace and kiss each other passionately. The next morning, the boys wake up naked together. Tenoch goes outside to vomit, and the boys are eager to return home. The narrator explains that their journey back was quiet and uneventful and that Luisa stayed behind to explore

765-610: The 2003 Academy Awards . The film made its US premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival . The film was released without a rating in the US because a market-limiting NC-17 was unavoidable. The MPAA 's presumed treatment of the film based on the graphic depiction of sex, nudity and drug use in comparison to its much more accepting standards regarding violence, prompted critic Roger Ebert to question why movie industry professionals were not outraged: "Why do serious film people not rise up in rage and tear down

816-402: The 80s there was a huge void in Mexican cinema, then my generation picked up the staff in the early 90s." However, during the 1970s "technical experimentation" took precedence within the film community, and through the 1980s films "catered to the lowest common denominator", the 1990s Generation learned by working together with the filmmakers of the late 60s and 70s. Social divisions within Mexico

867-477: The Spaniards themselves meet a tragic end. The filmmakers use this trope to recall Mexico's past, specifically with Spain's colonization of Mexico. The style of the films generally mimics the "art house" films of previous decades, since the state of Mexico had the greatest authority over the production of movies. Directors specifically adopted this style to move away from the state and into independent productions, which

918-471: The actual rejuvenation of Mexican cinema as starting in 1998 in a Post-NAFTA Mexico, beginning with the film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas ( Sex, Shame and Tears ). Others believe it began because of the international acclaim of the films such as Like Water for Chocolate (1992) and its nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes. The definition of Nuevo Cine Mexicano also leads to the question, "What

969-409: The box office record for documentary in Mexico. According to The Economist , this is "by far the most successful documentary in Mexico's history." Guillermo del Toro , Alfonso Cuarón , and Alejandro G. Inarritu make up the "Three Amigos", the main Mexican film directors of Nuevo Cine Mexicano. All have created films produced in Mexico and Hollywood. Critics and award shows consider these three as

1020-411: The boys, so she has sex with Julio to "equalize" their perceived status. An upset Tenoch then reveals that he has had sex with Julio's girlfriend. Julio and Tenoch begin fighting, but stop when Luisa threatens to leave. Driving along the coastal road that evening, they happen upon an isolated beach that is actually called Boca del Cielo. Making camp there, they begin to relax and enjoy the ocean, along with

1071-464: The company of a local family. After their campsite is ransacked by a herd of wild pigs, they spend the night in a nearby village, where Luisa makes another phone call to Jano to bid him an affectionate but final farewell. Luisa, Julio, and Tenoch get drunk that evening and joke about their sexual transgressions. Julio and Tenoch reveal that they each have frequently had sex with the other's girlfriend. Julio adds that he had sex with Tenoch's mother, but it

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1122-547: The decades following the golden age due in part to Mexican audiences watching more overseas films, especially Hollywood productions. This resulted in the rise of Mexican genres such as Luchador films , sexicomedias and ultimately the low-budget direct-to-video Mexploitation film. Many themes addressed in Nuevo Cine Mexicano include identity, tradition, and socio-political conflicts within Mexico itself. The movement has achieved international success with films such as director Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mamá También (2001), which

1173-438: The documentary-realist style, Cuarón was able to explore Mexico's geographical, cultural, and political landscapes. The director and screenwriter were not afraid of developing Y tu mamá también during the production process. Cuarón's script was minimal and unelaborate so the actors could contribute to its development during the rehearsal process. Throughout the film the actors improvised. Instead of using high-tech equipment,

1224-488: The economic crash in 1994. The IMCINE produced roughly five films a year during the crisis. The main influx of directors and filmmakers, as well as funding, primarily came from the IMCINE. The incoming filmmakers, nicknamed the "1990s Generation", were helped by the generation of 1968 with their filmmaking skills. One of the most successful filmmakers of the 1990s Generation of Mexican filmmakers, Guillermo del Toro , said that "In

1275-435: The end by 1976. However, such films are still being created including the trilogy of Mil Mascaras films beginning with 2007's Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy and followed by Academy of Doom and Aztec Revenge . Y Tu Mam%C3%A1 Tambi%C3%A9n Y tu mamá también (Spanish for And Your Mother Too ) is a 2001 Mexican coming-of-age comedy drama road film directed by Alfonso Cuarón , who co-wrote

1326-416: The entire film was shot with a handheld camera to create a documentary-realist look that mimicked candid footage. In an interview, Cuarón said it all went "back to our original idea of 15 years ago, in which we would do a low-budget road movie that would allow us to go with some young actors and semi-improvise scenes and have a bare storyline but not be afraid of adding things as we went." The beach scenes in

1377-607: The film four stars out of four, saying, "Beneath the carefree road movie that the movie is happy to advertise is a more serious level—and below that, a dead serious level." Y tu mamá también won the Best Screenplay Award at the Venice Film Festival . It was also a runner-up at the National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Picture and Best Director and earned a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at

1428-436: The film positive reviews, based upon a sample of 192, and an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Led by a triumvirate of terrific performances, Alfonso Cuarón's free-spirited road trip through Mexico is a sexy and wistful hymn to the fleetingness of youth". On Metacritic , the film received an average score of 89 out of 100 based on 36 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert gave

1479-448: The film were shot near the resort Bahías de Huatulco in Oaxaca . Y tu mamá también was released on DVD in an unrated version in 2002 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . In 2014, it received a Blu-ray release as part of The Criterion Collection . Y tu mamá también was produced by Anhelo Producciones, a company co-founded by Cuarón and Jorge Vergara , a well-known Mexican businessman and

1530-399: The film's producer. The company provided sufficient funding to make the film and launch an impressive marketing campaign. The $ 5 million film budget was substantial by Mexican film standards. Advertisement and publicity appeared across Mexico. Along with the help of Anhelo Producciones, the ratings board controversy gave the film a lot of free publicity in Mexico. On location production support

1581-681: The first Indigenous Latin American ( Indigenous Mexican ) to be nominated in any category at the Academy Awards. Museum won the best script award at the Berlin International Film Festival . The film tells the story of the famous robbery to the National Museum of Anthropology on 25 December 1985, in Mexico City. Presumed Guilty is a documentary following Antonio Zúñiga, who was falsely convicted of murder. It holds

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1632-471: The girls depart on a trip to Italy. Without their girlfriends around, the boys take the opportunity to live as bachelors. At a wedding, they meet Luisa, the Spanish wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano. Trying to impress Luisa, the boys talk about a fictitious secluded beach called Boca del Cielo (Heaven's Mouth). However, she declines their invitation to accompany them there. She later visits a doctor, after which she receives

1683-465: The list of female names as filmmakers or creators; in reality, it created a daunting cinematic genre by objectifying women as well as displacing them within the film industry. According to Patricia Torres San Martín, an honorable film scholar, there is a new theme emerging within the film industry in Mexico which is known as the 'new female identity'. Yalitza Aparicio debut performance in Roma (2018) makes her

1734-406: The most popular films El secreto de Romeila (1988) directed by Busi Cortés and Los pasos de Ana (1990) by Marisa Sistach are considered the doors that opened opportunity for women filmmakers in Mexico as well as created a new genre that people were not familiar with, labeled as 'women's cinema'. The phenomenal growth of 'women's cinema', not only meant that there would be an infinite expansion in

1785-502: The most well-known Mexican luchador film stars was El Santo (Rodolfo Guzman Huerta), who starred in 53 films. Luis Enrique Vergara , the producer of the Santo movies and Mil Máscaras films, also created a Blue Demon series, similar to the stories then appearing in the weekly Mexican comic books. Blue Demon starred in 25 Lucha films. Vergara produced and at times wrote the scripts. He would cast beautiful, sensuous and well-built actresses in

1836-483: The movies, and he starred in 20 lucha films, including Enigma de muerte with John Carradine and Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy with El Hijo del Santo , Blue Demon Jr. , and Huracan Ramirez Jr. Lucha films also starred other masked luchadores including Tinieblas (The Darkness), Rayo de Jalisco, Sr. (Lightning from Jalisco), El Medico Asesino (The Killer Doctor), El Fantasma Blanco (The White Ghost) and Superzan. The most successful luchador film in Mexico

1887-430: The movies, such as Altia Michel and Isela Vega as a foil to complement the masculinity of the superheroes. In 1965, Santo walked out on producer Vergara over a contractual dispute, and Blue Demon suffered injuries and was thus unable to work. Vergara discovered Aaron Rodriguez , a young luchador, and offered him to star as Mil Máscaras . Máscaras was the first superhero/lucha libre personality created specifically for

1938-462: The nearby coves, as well as that the boys' girlfriends broke up with them and they stopped hanging out. A year later, after a chance encounter in Mexico City , Julio and Tenoch go for coffee together. They awkwardly catch up on each other's lives and news of their mutual friends. Tenoch informs Julio that Luisa died of cancer a month after their trip, and that she had been aware of her prognosis during

1989-512: The performance of their characters' friendship much easier. Cuarón ultimately hired Luna because he became convinced that their bond would produce a natural and honest performance. After working on Great Expectations and A Little Princess , Alfonso Cuarón envisioned a film that was not influenced by production techniques used in Hollywood cinema. Cuarón wanted to reject commercial production techniques he had used in his previous films, like dollies, close-ups, and dissolves. Instead he embraced

2040-1191: The premier directors in their craft. Each produces and uses actors and cinematographers from Mexico, even in their Hollywood made productions. "Poster-boy" actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna have also moved on to several Hollywood productions, yet their popularity in Mexican cinema has proven to endure throughout the years. Other directors include Alonso Ruizpalacios , Fernando Eimbcke , Jonás Cuarón , Issa López and Carlos López Estrada other actors include Eugenio Derbez , Eiza González , Diego Boneta , Tenoch Huerta , Kate del Castillo , Marina de Tavira , Diego Calva , Daniel Giménez Cacho , Omar Chaparro , Ana de la Reguera , José María Yazpik , Martha Higareda , Adriana Paz , Salma Hayek , Marco Perez , Adriana Barraza , Damián Alcázar , Irene Azuela , Luis Gerardo Méndez , Eduardo Verástegui , Karla Souza , Ana Claudia Talancón , Juan Daniel García Treviño , Joaquín Cosío , Alfonso Herrera , Yalitza Aparicio , Ilse Salas , Demian Bichir , Tony Dalton , Cecilia Suárez , Cassandra Ciangherotti and Jaime Camil . Since 2000, some directors have made "independent productions looking for more personal expression", under

2091-586: The rating system that infantilizes their work?" In 2001, Alfonso and Carlos Cuarón sued the Mexican Directorate of Radio, Television, and Cinema (RTC) for the film's 18+ rating (A grade ‘C’ certificate from the RTC), which they considered illegal political censorship. They took legal action to expose the government-controlled ratings board, prompting its transformation into an autonomous organization free of government involvement and political influence. The 18+ rating

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2142-424: The rise of the opposition led by Vicente Fox . In addition to directing and co-writing the film, Cuarón also produced it with Jorge Vergara and edited it alongside Alex Rodríguez . The film's explicit depiction of sex, nudity, and drug use caused complications in its rating. In Mexico, it earned $ 2.2 million its first weekend, setting a new record for the highest box office opening in Mexican cinema. In 2002, it

2193-406: The road-film genre to challenge mid-20th century Latin-American Cinema movements that rejected the pleasure and entertainment typical of Hollywood commercial cinema created by using fictional characters and story. Cuarón aimed to only borrow the pleasure and entertainment of Hollywood cinema to synthesize with political and cultural exploration of Mexico. Using fictional characters and a story within

2244-512: The script with his brother Carlos . It follows two teenage boys who take a road trip with a woman in her late twenties and stars Diego Luna , Gael García Bernal , and Maribel Verdú , with narration by Daniel Giménez Cacho . It is set in 1999 against the backdrop of Mexico's political and economic realities, specifically at the end of the uninterrupted seven decades of presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party and

2295-405: The sometimes stereotypical portrayals of Mexico and its inhabitants in U.S. and European films. The characterizations of Europeans or foreigners, specifically Spaniards, are relatively negative. In several works in Nuevo Cine Mexicano, the conflict within the story is due to a person of Spanish descent. Either the non-foreigners in the film who associate with the Spaniards are drastically changed or

2346-419: The time they spent together. Tenoch excuses himself because his current girlfriend is waiting for him, and tells Julio that he will see him later; the narrator, however, reveals that they will never see each other again. Cuarón did not want to cast Luna for the role of Tenoch because he was a teen idol and telenovela star in Mexico. García Bernal convinced Cuarón to hire Luna because their friendship would make

2397-431: Was Las Momias de Guanajuato ("The Mummies of Guanajuato"). In that 1970 film, El Santo, Blue Demon, and Mil Mascaras team up to battle a group of re-animated mummies . When American producer K. Gordon Murray bought the rights to three of Santo’s lucha libre films, he dubbed them into English for domestic release and changed the name of the wrestling hero to "Samson". The best known luchador film made outside of Mexico

2448-610: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and at the Golden Globes for Best Foreign Film, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu 's Amores Perros (2000), which was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. Guillermo del Toro 's Pan's Labyrinth a 2006 Mexican-Spanish won numerous international awards. There is debate over when this "new wave" of Mexican cinema began and whether there are any clear parameters as to how it differs from other Mexican film movements other than "newfound audience enthusiasm". Some cite

2499-449: Was provided by Alianza Films International. The film was distributed in Mexico by 20th Century Fox . Shortly after the Mexican release, IFC Films acquired North American distribution rights to the film. A box office success both domestically and abroad, Y tu mamá también grossed $ 2.2 million in its first week, breaking Mexico's box office records for domestic films. It went on to gross a record $ 12 million in Mexico. The film became

2550-591: Was released in English-speaking markets under its Spanish title, with a limited release in the United States. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards and as Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards . Two Mexican teenage best friends, working-class Julio and upper-class Tenoch, are having sex with their respective girlfriends before

2601-489: Was short-lived as the majority Mexican filmgoers preferred Hollywood films. Before the 1990s, the Mexican film industry was primarily funded by the state in coordination with the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (Mexican Film Institute, IMCINE). There was a decrease in Mexican audiences watching Mexican-produced films in favor of Hollywood blockbusters as well as "film production dropp[ing] to an all-time low" due to

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