Alfonso Cuaron is an extremely talented director, all his films to date have proved that. 'Children of Men' is especially good, have always have had a huge soft spot for 'A Little Princess', 'Prisoner of Azkaban' is one of the best directed films of the 'Harry Potter' franchise and as polarising as 'Gravity' is there is no denying that Cuaron's direction and the visuals were exceptional.

'Y Tu Mama Tambien' is not quite Cuaron's best and is not for everybody, as can be seen by the reviews here. While not everything works, to me 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' was a near-masterpiece of a film. It is a little slow at the beginning that one is almost deterred from watching further. The second flaw is that while amusing and informative at times the deadpan narration (one of the components that has garnered the biggest mix of love and hate) is a little heavy-handed and over-explanatory, it could have been used less and wasn't always necessary.

Just for the record have nothing against narration. There are instances has been used well in film (a notable recent example was 'Gone Girl' where it was crucial to the story) but others where it has been poorly done (the animated film 'Rock a Doodle' for instance had very annoying narration).

However, 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' is a beautifully made film. The scenery is absolutely majestic and the clever and often dazzling photography, which has Cuaron's stylistic touches all over it, complements it brilliantly. Nothing to complain about Cuaron's directing either, he is a master of visuals and mood and interaction and conflicts are also brought out believably.

Scripting has a great mix of humour, emotion and insight. Parts of 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' are very funny, others are genuinely moving and it has a lot to say about society, the economy and such and all in an insightful way. Much of it is very uplifting too. The same can be said for the story, which has a slow start but once it gets going and if stuck with it's very absorbing and layered. The sex scenes are raunchy and sensual, not feeling gratuitous or misplaced.

Characters have been criticised for not being likable, in a way that's true but there are times where it is clear that they weren't meant to be. They are however compelling in their realism and relatable. Luisa is the most interesting and most well-developed. The acting is strong, Maribel Verdu in particular being a revelation though Gael Garcia Bernal proves himself to be a rising star.

In conclusion, a great film and a near-masterpiece. 9/10 Bethany Cox

In Mexico City, horny best friends Tenoch Iturbide (Diego Luna) and Julio Zapata (Gael García Bernal) aimlessly drift as college beckons and their girlfriends are traveling overseas. At a family wedding, they meet Luisa Cortés (Maribel Verdú),a slightly older woman and the wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano. Jano is cheating on her and she gets news from a doctor. She agrees to go on a road trip with the boys to a non-existent beach and find an intense rollicking sexual journey.

What a trio! It was my first introduction to these three actors. It's incredible to discover both Luna and Bernal at the same time. Their magnetic personalities are obvious right away. Maribel Verdú is no shrinking violet either. The three of them are terrific together. Some of it is a little slow especially the beginning. There are also great scenes that are absolutely electric. It's also my first Alfonso Cuarón movie and I didn't connect him to my favorite Harry Potter movie Prisoner of Azkaban until much later. He has such amazing range.

It amuses me to think that some Warner Brothers executives watched Y tu mamá también and thought to themselves. Alfonso Cuarón is the right man to direct the next Harry Potter film.

The film begins with two sex scenes. Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael García Bernal) are two privileged 17 year old brats in Mexico City. Both are having one last intimate moment with their respective girlfriends before the young women go off to a summer trip to Europe.

The charmless arrogant pair belong to a privileged fraternity. Life revolves around sex, drugs, alcohol and jerking off. Tenoch's father is a politician. Both boys attend a wedding reception where the President is due to attend.

At the wedding they meet enchanting Luisa who is from Spain. She is 28 years old, a dental technician. The invite her to a secluded beach in the Pacific coast and invent the name of Heaven's Mouth.

That is before they find out that she is married to Tenoch's cousin, a writer who got educated in Spain.

A few days later Luisa accepts their invitation after her husband drunkenly admits to having cheated on her again.

Tenoch and Julio need to get hold of a car and find some directions of any beach that matches the description they gave to Luisa.

Obviously both of them fancy their chances with Luisa on the trip.

Cuarón peppers his film with voice overs that show another side to Mexico. A highway where there is a traffic jam as someone got run over by a bus. He did not take the bridge as it would increase the walk to his work by several miles. His body was identified several days later. The fisherman and his family that the boys meet at a beach. He takes them on boat trips and has a small shack that serves food. He will later lose his livelihood when a luxury hotel is built.

Along the way they see a different more rural part of Mexico. They also see constant police roadblocks but the boys are ignored by the police, another sign of their privileged background.

Luisa when alone cries uncontrollably. She speaks to her husband on the phone unsure whether she is angry with him or misses him but does tell him that she will not go back to him.

Luisa also initiates a seduction of Tenoch which Julio witnesses. It causes a rift between the boys as Julio tells Tanoch that he has had sex with his girlfriend. Later she seduces Julio as well which then upsets Tenoch and he responds by telling Julio that he also had sex with his girlfriend.

Luisa later takes control of the situation by criticising both of their lack of sexual prowess which is more about their own satisfaction. She later gets intimate with both of them while noting the latent homo eoriticsm between the two.

Cuarón is another director from the Mexican new wave. His influences are the European new wave directors such as Francois Truffaut.

The movie was dubbed as the Mexican version of American Pie. The films are vastly different.

Cuarón takes a mature approach to relationships and betrayal. It is a summer where the boys grow up and move on. There are constant hints of underlying darkness beneath Mexican society, something Tenoch and Julio have been shielded from. You get a voiceover where until he was four years old, Tenoch thought his nanny was his mother.

It also has a coda when the boys meet up one year later where they catch up and talk about Luisa.