Review

Tenoch and Julio, relatively well-off Mexico City teenagers and best friends, are living quite the carefree life with their girlfriends out of the country: smoking dope, mooching drinks at political functions, and masturbating the summer away. On a lark, they invite the beautiful, more mature Maribel on a road trip to a secret beach that doesn't exist; when she surprisingly accepts, they set off on a road trip that will allow her to experience a life free of her infidelitous husband, while the boys naturally take turns trying to get into her pants. It has all the trappings of a teen comedy (and comes complete with profane humor and a requisite semen shot), but this intimately insightful film delves much deeper, especially into the strains that sexuality places on friends who share everything. Bernal (from Amores Perros) and Luna are so relaxed and uninhibited in their roles, that their bond becomes palpable. Cuarón paints a vivid portrait of Mexico: its volatile mix of military muscle, new development, and near-poverty affects our travellers at each step. This is a world rarely shown in America: not only the real Mexico, but the uncensored lives of teenagers and a twentysomething woman, each experiencing pain and comedy alike with compelling honesty. (Spanish with English subtitles)

 -- David Gorgos