Three For The Road
August 26, 2002 | 12:00am
Washington DC -- It was John Lydon (the former Johnny Rotten) who once said: "Sex is just two minutes and 30 seconds of squelching noises." This thought comes to mind when you watch Alfonso Cuaron’s latest film Y Tu Mama Tambien, probably one of the best road movies since Easy Rider. In the opening scene, Tenoch (Diego Luna) is astride his girlfriend Ana and they’re in the throes of passion albeit for the whole 10 seconds of it. In the next scene, Tenoch’s good friend Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal of the Amores Perros fame) fares no better with his girlfriend Ceci as they grope each other in her bedroom while her parents wait downstairs to take her to the airport. Brutal, honest and unforgiving, it all looks quite funny if it were not too familiar.
The opening scenes set the tone of the film. With both their girlfriends off to Italy for the summer, the two friends have nothing to do but do drugs, eat, and satisfy themselves on the diving boards of an exclusive country club (where Tenoch’s father is a member), and do more drugs. That is, until they meet Luisa Cortes (Maribel Verdu) at a wedding reception. Older (and looking better because of it), she is actually the wife of Tenoch’s cousin which, of course, doesnÕt deter them from chatting her up, inevitably inviting her to take a trip with them to a paradisiacal beach called Heaven’s Mouth. A few days later, and to the boys’ surprise, Luisa calls Tenoch asking if the invitation is still open. Making hasty preparations including borrowing a car, the three are all set to go to Heaven’s Mouth but there’s one problem: it doesn’t exist.
Although the two guys and one girl bit has been tackled by directors from Francois Truffaut to Greg Arraki, Cuaron manages to make it his own, breathing life into the situation. However, credit must surely go to his excellent cast, particularly Verdu whose past acting exploits in films such as Amantes prove her to be versatile and bold, the kind willing to go the extra mile and play a woman on the verge.
Cuaron (whose past films include 1995’s A Little Princess and 1998’s big budget retelling of Great Expectations) pares down the Hollywood styling of his previous work and fashions a rough gem that, despite what you might expect from the synopsis, is quite mature and ambitious. He juxtaposes the party lifestyle hedonism of his two lead protagonists with a number of narrative devices: one of which is the voice-over of an omniscient narrator that frequently drifts away from his main characters to tell the stories of those around them. As the three pass a particular stretch of highway, the narrator informs us about an accident that happened years earlier; on a boat ride, the future misfortune of a fisherman the three befriend is revealed. This parallelism is echoed visually as well: at a wedding scene in the first part of the film, the shots follow a waitress as she makes her way from the opulent celebration to the parking lot outside where all the bodyguards and drivers are eating. While the three enjoy dinner at one of their stopovers, the camera inexplicably draws away from them to go to the back kitchen where the dishwashers are doing their work. The presentation of two worlds co-existing is at the very heart of the film, constantly tugging at the audience’s attention and revealing the contrast of poverty and affluence in the Mexican landscape. It also succeeds in giving us a glimpse behind the emotional facades of the three, exposing their desires and conflicts as the group dynamics fluctuate and change.
A little heavy for what was billed as Mexico’s answer to American Pie? Rest assured, the film is no Wild Strawberries and delivers the goods for those who expect laughs.
Roughly translated as "and your mother too," Y Tu Mama Tambien is both an affectionate and derisive term. The film encapsulates this period without resorting to sentimentality. It also tells the story with the melancholy that comes with the knowledge that this time will never last. Perhaps that’s why it works so well: it’s a lovingly crafted photo album that lingers long after the last page has been turned.
Notes from Underground: Good news for fans of true Filipino independent music!
The country’s best pop band The Pin-up Girls is going to be signed to independent label Know-It-All Records based in Washington, Tacoma. Finally, a band truly representative of the emerging indie scene in the Philippines ventures out of our shores to test their mettle. This column wishes them well with the knowledge that this is probably only the beginning.
More details will come out in future columns and by probably listening to NU 107 where the band will do their signing in the coming weeks.
A film that this column has heard nothing but praise for is Jon Red’s new film Utang ni Tatang. Aside from fact that it’s directed by one of the most original directors of the independent scene, it also stars the always-brilliant Joel Torre (whose under use in the mainstream is one of the most unfortunate oversights and is perhaps symptomatic of all that is wrong in our local industry), promising actor Epy Quizon, and Tado (who along with Jun Sabayton is an icon of indie film). Please go see it and support true Filipino cinema.
This column is inviting you to Mga Anak ng Araw, an exhibit of book illustrations by Ruben de Jesus at the UP Vargas Museum from Aug. 29 to Sept. 26. A founding member and former head of Ang Illustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK), De Jesus is also an assistant professor at the Visual Communication Department of the UP College of Fine Arts. His works have won acclaim both here and abroad. His illustrations for Ang Mahiyaing Manok, published by Adarna Books, was given a special prize from the 2000 Noma Concours for Children’s Picture Book Illustrations, awarded by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO.
The launching of the book Mga Anak ng Araw written by Rene O. Villanueva will coincide with the opening. Other activities during the exhibitÕs run will be storytelling sessions on Sept. 11 and 25, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. De Jesus will also give a free workshop on childrenÕs book illustration from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Sept. 18.
For particulars, call Linda Pabico at 928-1927 or 920-5301, local 7407. You may also send queries by fax at 928-1925 or e-mail at vargasmuseum@yahoo.com.Please go and show your support for our Filipino artists.
Filipino television isn’t so bad after all. There are many things for the couch potato to watch from quality anime like Samurai X to classic TV series such as The Twilight Zone. There’s also sitcoms from Star World and cult favorites like Speed Racer on Cartoon Network as well as great documentaries on the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery. Here’s hoping for more!
Send comments and reactions to: erwin_romulo@hotmail.com.
The opening scenes set the tone of the film. With both their girlfriends off to Italy for the summer, the two friends have nothing to do but do drugs, eat, and satisfy themselves on the diving boards of an exclusive country club (where Tenoch’s father is a member), and do more drugs. That is, until they meet Luisa Cortes (Maribel Verdu) at a wedding reception. Older (and looking better because of it), she is actually the wife of Tenoch’s cousin which, of course, doesnÕt deter them from chatting her up, inevitably inviting her to take a trip with them to a paradisiacal beach called Heaven’s Mouth. A few days later, and to the boys’ surprise, Luisa calls Tenoch asking if the invitation is still open. Making hasty preparations including borrowing a car, the three are all set to go to Heaven’s Mouth but there’s one problem: it doesn’t exist.
Although the two guys and one girl bit has been tackled by directors from Francois Truffaut to Greg Arraki, Cuaron manages to make it his own, breathing life into the situation. However, credit must surely go to his excellent cast, particularly Verdu whose past acting exploits in films such as Amantes prove her to be versatile and bold, the kind willing to go the extra mile and play a woman on the verge.
Cuaron (whose past films include 1995’s A Little Princess and 1998’s big budget retelling of Great Expectations) pares down the Hollywood styling of his previous work and fashions a rough gem that, despite what you might expect from the synopsis, is quite mature and ambitious. He juxtaposes the party lifestyle hedonism of his two lead protagonists with a number of narrative devices: one of which is the voice-over of an omniscient narrator that frequently drifts away from his main characters to tell the stories of those around them. As the three pass a particular stretch of highway, the narrator informs us about an accident that happened years earlier; on a boat ride, the future misfortune of a fisherman the three befriend is revealed. This parallelism is echoed visually as well: at a wedding scene in the first part of the film, the shots follow a waitress as she makes her way from the opulent celebration to the parking lot outside where all the bodyguards and drivers are eating. While the three enjoy dinner at one of their stopovers, the camera inexplicably draws away from them to go to the back kitchen where the dishwashers are doing their work. The presentation of two worlds co-existing is at the very heart of the film, constantly tugging at the audience’s attention and revealing the contrast of poverty and affluence in the Mexican landscape. It also succeeds in giving us a glimpse behind the emotional facades of the three, exposing their desires and conflicts as the group dynamics fluctuate and change.
A little heavy for what was billed as Mexico’s answer to American Pie? Rest assured, the film is no Wild Strawberries and delivers the goods for those who expect laughs.
Roughly translated as "and your mother too," Y Tu Mama Tambien is both an affectionate and derisive term. The film encapsulates this period without resorting to sentimentality. It also tells the story with the melancholy that comes with the knowledge that this time will never last. Perhaps that’s why it works so well: it’s a lovingly crafted photo album that lingers long after the last page has been turned.
The country’s best pop band The Pin-up Girls is going to be signed to independent label Know-It-All Records based in Washington, Tacoma. Finally, a band truly representative of the emerging indie scene in the Philippines ventures out of our shores to test their mettle. This column wishes them well with the knowledge that this is probably only the beginning.
More details will come out in future columns and by probably listening to NU 107 where the band will do their signing in the coming weeks.
The launching of the book Mga Anak ng Araw written by Rene O. Villanueva will coincide with the opening. Other activities during the exhibitÕs run will be storytelling sessions on Sept. 11 and 25, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. De Jesus will also give a free workshop on childrenÕs book illustration from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Sept. 18.
For particulars, call Linda Pabico at 928-1927 or 920-5301, local 7407. You may also send queries by fax at 928-1925 or e-mail at vargasmuseum@yahoo.com.Please go and show your support for our Filipino artists.
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