Learning Beyond the Classics: Mexican Cinema: Épocas de Oro
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
With Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna
Rated R, 106 minutes, DCP
In Spanish with English subtitles
A massive international hit and fodder for 'Wells for Boys' internationally as well, Alfonso Cuarón took standard building blocks from both the on-the-road genre and bildungsroman and built a towering film that analyzed class, politics, and quality of life in Mexico. Beyond that, he created a blueprint for how to make a film like that in any culture, and his model has been directly and indirectly appropriated since the film's debut. Two friends, Tenoch and Julio (Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, who obviously flourished quite well after this film), meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú) at a wedding, and they invite her to the beach. The resulting twists and turns of the impromptu getaway leave indelible impressions on the boys—and audience alike.