Get Your Reps In: “Y Tu Mamá También” Opened Career Windows and Slammed Shut the Door on Childhood

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

In most coming-of-age movies, we expect the characters to evolve. But sometimes the things they learn slam doors on childhood rather than open windows to adulthood. Though perhaps best remembered for its group sex and minting two Mexican movie stars, Y Tu Mamá También is a bracing depiction of adolescence’s sudden end. It screens Sunday, March 23, at the Tomorrow Theater as part of a March Madness series that will eventually anoint the quintessential millennial movie (vote on Instagram or in person). Indeed, the elder millennial bona fides of Y Tu Mamá También are baked deep into the material. Set in 1999, it uses the tumultuous conclusion of a centurylong era of Mexican politics as a constant backdrop to the two main characters losing their youth. Julio (Gabriel García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) are mere months from college when they embark on a fateful road trip with an older woman, Luisa (Maribel Verdú), who punctures their swaggering teenage façades. Luckily, Y Tu Mamá También also marked crucial beginnings, announcing director Alfonso Cuarón as a 21st century auteur on the international scene. Tomorrow, March 23.

Also Playing:

Academy: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), March 21–24. The Two Towers (2002), March 21, 22 and 25. The Return of the King (2003), March 22 and 26. Maniac (1980), March 21, 23, 25 and 27. Paris Is Burning (1990), March 21–27. Cinema 21: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), March 22. Cinemagic: The Faculty (1998), March 19. Clerks (1994), March 19. Frances Ha (2012), March 20. The Frigteners (1996), March 20. Enter the Dragon (1973), March 21, 22, 24 and 27. Police Story (1985), March 22, 23, 25 and 26. Rouge (1987), March 23, 25 and 26. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), March 22, 23, 24 and 27. Clinton: The Blind Owl (1987), March 19. Chopping Mall (1986) and Night of the Comet (1984) double feature, March 21. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), March 22. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), March 22. How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022), March 24. Girlfriends (1978), March 25. Hollywood: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), March 20. Broken Blossoms (1919), March 22. School of Rock (2003), March 23. Zardoz (1974), March 23. Rebel Without a Cause (1955), March 24. Chained Heat (1983), March 25. Tomorrow: All of Us Strangers (2023), March 20. Legally Blonde (2001), March 21. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), March 22. Romeo + Juliet (1996), March 22. Mars Attacks! (1996), March 23.