Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) - Mexican

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, Y Tu Mama Tambien is tale of betrayal in the state of mind of a boyish attachment to short term ecstasy. Cuaron's oeuvre, which also contains Children Of Men (2006) and Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004), includes the tales of boyhood potency/impotency. Through sci-fi impotency in Children Of Men Clive Owen goes through great lengths to ensure the survival of a pregnant female. Y Tu Mama Tambien is contains themes of potency, yet it shows them in a wasteful and frivolous light. Sex is casual and unsatisfactory and masturbation is usually a decent substitute.

Y Tu Mama Tambien raised a few eyebrows with its frank depictions of sex, yet its nonchalant attitude towards intercourse familiarizes us with youthful sex and the lure of promiscuity. Appropriate for a coming of age tale centered on the lives of two 17 year old friends who need nothing else aside from each other and masturbation. The inseparable lives of Tenoch and Julio (or should I say Tenulio) have been interrupted by the whimsical curiosity of Luisa who is married to Tenoch's cousin. After Tenoch's relative cheats on Luisa, she decides to take up the offer of the boys invitation to Heaven's Mouth, a fictional bay made up by Tenoch and Julio. Their road trip is coated with conversations about sex and friendship.

The most interesting and unusual stylistic touch in the film is the use of documentary style commentary on the situations past, present, and future. The sound continuously cuts out to leave room for the "Voice of God" that nurtures and guides the audiences sympathies. It mentions deaths that have already occurred in the past, like that of the roadway accident and also the fate of a fisherman whom the three main characters meet later on. This voice could be connected to the Luis Bunuel's commentary in the documentary Las Hurdes (1933) except Cuaron uses it to allude to past and future plights of the poor of Mexico and the extremely rich society's corruption. The journey that the three take is representative of Mexican third world politics in light of stagnant progressive change. Tenoch, of a wealthy background, treats Julio with pity and disgust in secret, while Julio hangs out with Tenoch for his money and status. They both war over Luisa, a relatively small beneficiary who can offer nothing to the boys but sex and a look at first world politics. The ending especially exemplifies the third world state of a country that can only receive glimpses of first world politics.

Y Tu Mama Tambien is a warming tale of corruption amongst friendship and the details of sexual experience. It will bring you to the brink of friendship and loyalty. Conceptual rules of relationships are bent, broken, and re-shapen in contemporary Mexican society and on the voyage to Heaven's Mouth.

The Seventh Seal (1957) - Swedish

While watching the film for the first time, there is a significant affinity for the tumultuous beaches and stark cliffs and beaches of Sweden. It is exhilarating because the sea seems ready to do battle with the steep rocks of the coast. Of course, this can be said to represent the mindset of our lead protagonist Antonius Block, who is in the midst of out witting death in a game of chess. The internal struggle of the knight moves the story through a long journey of death's hold on life and what that means to a God, if there ever was one.

A dark and bleak tale that lends us release in the carefree entrancement of life enjoyed by a couple of entertainers. Jof, his wife Mia, and their baby Mikael are the binary narrative to the knight's tale, and it seems appropriately so, since Block demands proof of the existence of a being he has unquestioningly served for years in the crusades. Jof's tale procures fertility, unconditional love, and stability, while Block's tale lends deceit, death, and existential obsession. It is only after he is sure of his impending doom, that he blindly asks for God's forgiveness.

Ingmar Bergman's background in theater stabilizes the actors so that they can comfortably work through existential thought, while acting naturally. It helps that Bergman's work was equally divided between the studio and the theater. He'd worked as director of the Royal Dramatic Theater in the 1960s while pumping out works like Winter Light and The Silence. The acting appears morally sound, but is confused as ever whether or not they are working towards the existence among a higher order.

A good example would be the silence of the assumed witch that speaks only to Satan. She confesses her devotion to the Devil and seems to give Block an affirmation of the existence of God, yet she resumes her silence at the stake. Jons, Block's loyal squire, argues that her silence is a realization of the fact that there is no God. Bergman's silent woman motif can be exemplified by the otherness of women in Sweden, and the organizational attitudes of a patriarchal society. Silence is often times a resistance to the established male hierarchy, and to remain silent in defiance to God can be the best way to protest religious association with the patriarch.