"Y Tu" is an import that deserves to be seen by the daring!

The context in which the title “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” is revealed is one of those instances where you’re unsure if you should laugh or feel sorry for the characters. In English, the title is “And Your Mama Too.” I simply that it was a new form of hip slang like “Your mama” or “What’s Up?” Nope. Towards the end of the film, as it winds down, after yet another drunken binge party, the two main characters discover a lot of themselves. And that’s a bit what the film is about, self-discovery.

Upon looking at the rottentomatoes.com site in which several quotes are scattered about, reveal what each critic thought about. It’s a summation of their review in one sentence. I have to admit, I’m sick and tired of tossing around the word “brilliant.” We critics are seduced by adjectives. They seem to take control of us and as I’ve often stated, it’s simply difficult to sum up an entire running time in just a few words. But upon looking at the quotes, every word can be applied, and used to the fullest extent of the critic law, for “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” is one of those films that grabs a hold of every positive adjective in the English (or Mexican) language.

"Frank, funny and true," says Carla Meyer of The San Francisco Chronicle. I also see words like sexy, bittersweet, vivid, thoughtful, witty, intelligent, vibrant, playful, vulgar among many more. The list goes on. The movie is all of these things, but don’t count out the word stunning. You have to love the feeling of being uncomfortable in a crowded room. Well, not while it’s happening of course, but upon walking out, I consistently wonder “what the hell are all the old folks thinking?” It’s hard to imagine an 80-year-old proclaiming this a landmark masterpiece. If and when you see this film, and you should, tell me if you would enjoy sitting next to your mother or grandmother watching it. You may have issues if you say that you would.

What makes this film so stunning is its sheer audacity. I’m guilty of throwing around the word audacious from time to time myself. But there are scenes in which I was beside myself. “Y Tu Mama Tambien” is a movie full of wonder. Wondering how the actors could be so naked (both metaphorically and literally). The gaze of the Mexican landscape and its awe-inspiring beauty. The devastating moments that revealed the character’s true colors. It’s all that and more. It’s an achingly gorgeous experience that is comprised of both sin and forgiveness.

The great director Alfonso Cuaron (who did the beautiful “A Little Princess, which is the polar opposite of his latest) constructs a canvas of such unrelenting, sometimes shocking sexuality, along with the all-too-familiar tale of shattering youth and innocence. The road that the film travels down is familiar in terms of plot, but Cuaron has painted the film in such a way that will transfix you. It’s an obvious homage to Truffaut’s masterpiece, “Jules And Jim,” which has definitely inspired many spirited young filmmakers in telling a male-bonding road tale. You feel sorry for the young adults, numbing their lives with temporary pleasures, but at the same time, you laugh with them in their conquests. The conventions of the story are immediately shattered by the powerful moments that won’t leave your mind walking out.

Nothing is as ever as simple as black and white in “Y Tu.” With the driving force of sexuality deluging the young men, they are later faced with consequences. This is not “American Pie 3” folks, it’s a million times better.

“Y Tu” is the story of Julio and Tenoch (Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna), two upper-middle class buddies who spend a lot of the film getting high and having fun. More interestingly, they are shocking open and candid about their sexual fantasies, which are shown most acutely in what’s certain to be a famous scene on top of a diving board. They both have girlfriends, but they have gone on a vacation to Europe, and it’s no question that faithfulness is the last thing on their minds.

They meet Luica (Maribel Verdu), a woman 10 years older than them, at a wedding. They speak of an unknown beach called Heaven’s Mouth and they decide to invite her to go there with them, but of course she turns them down, thinking the idea as preposterous. Later, we learn that Luica’s husband has cheated on her and this prompts her to get away from everything. Spontaneously, she calls up the boys and asks if the trip to Heaven’s Mouth is still on. They couldn’t be more ecstatic, as they happily pack up their stuff, and pick Luica up.

Lucia gets both of the boys to divulge all their secrets and fantasies as well as their favorite sexual positions. It’s at this point in the film where the dialogue could’ve contributed to its un-rated status. As they drive, they see the bleaker side of Mexico, which consists of the destitute. The car keeps going as does the very intimate conversations, which are both funny and distressing simultaneously. The guys have an 8-rule manifesto through which they live, and we can be certain that sooner or later some of those rules will be broken, simply because of how the two boys act towards one another and their pursuits toward Lucia. Then of course, something does happen between the three of them, and their lust, jealousy, combined with Lucia’s melancholy, gets the best of the characters, and it’s at this point that the film seethes with life. Just wait til you see Heaven’s Mouth. It’s a sight to behold. As for the where the film takes you, you may know where it’s going, but the director is able to make the entire movie seem exciting, arousing, and original.

It is just wonderfully invigorating when a movie like this gets made. Seriously, look at your local mall multiplex and you’ll find “Jason X” on two screens, but SO MANY great foreign imports are getting the much-needed and well-deserved attention. They make them much better overseas lately (such as “No Man’s Land, Amelie, Monsoon Wedding,”) that you’re better off paying the extra money for gas, drive up to the big city, and seek extraordinary films like “Y Tu Mama Tambien.”

The only minor hindrance is the strange interrupting lifeless narrator who spawns off some interesting, but insignificant back-stories to each character. In some cases he even veers off to tell of the future, which is different, but a tad unnecessary. Still, it doesn’t deter you away from what a haunting, sad, film this truly is. (You can throw in a hundred other million adjectives as well). “Y Tu Mama Tambien” is simply one of the best films of the year. But be forewarned, if you object to outspoken in-your-face sexuality, then you’d be better off watching “Crash.” (I’m kidding, by the way). Actually, you’d be better off sticking to “Ice Age” instead.

GRADE: A