A slow, unsettlingly voyeuristic opening shot isn't the only thing that this film shares with it's younger brother Y Tu Mama Tambien. Both films use sexuality to explore the psyche of the protagonists, and tread the line between sex comedy and revelatory drama.
Do not walk into this film anticipating some sort of deep thinking, however. Tenoch and Julio were completely broken down individuals, we saw what made them tick, etc...That multi-layering isn't existent within Tomas. He's a womanizer intent on attaining the most beautiful woman he's seen, nothing more. It's a much more straight forward goal and development, seemingly lacking the dimensions that Cuaron's future characters are comprised of.
Tomas Tomas is an enthusiastic playboy adamant about not using condoms. When a scorned fling is put in a situation perfect for payback, she falsely marks his AIDS test positive, setting him off on a darkly comic quest to kill himself, but not before the love of his life finds out her husband is cheating on her and decides to end her own life as well. Tomas takes this opportunity to take her with him into death, as the one woman in his life, as far as we know, that he has a shred of respect for. This is revealed as he makes a list of the women he's slept with, laughing as he remembers their nick names, not necessarily even their real ones.
Visually, this film marks a point before Cuaron adopted his now staple handicam cinematography. The shots are graceful and smooth, the editing the same. It was gorgeous, with more than one shot inserted solely for the composition (off the top of my head, the vial of Tomas' blood filling up in front of a black background, though the room was white) At more than one time I felt like pausing the film just to take in the images.
While it marks a step toward what he will become, Solo Con Tu Pareja is a much more accessible and enjoyable film than the challenging ones that Cuaron eventually becomes known for. As a ribald comedy it succeeds, and it may be due to it's not trying to be. I'm not saying it's trying to be popcorn, but it also doesn't strive to change lives.
Do not walk into this film anticipating some sort of deep thinking, however. Tenoch and Julio were completely broken down individuals, we saw what made them tick, etc...That multi-layering isn't existent within Tomas. He's a womanizer intent on attaining the most beautiful woman he's seen, nothing more. It's a much more straight forward goal and development, seemingly lacking the dimensions that Cuaron's future characters are comprised of.
Tomas Tomas is an enthusiastic playboy adamant about not using condoms. When a scorned fling is put in a situation perfect for payback, she falsely marks his AIDS test positive, setting him off on a darkly comic quest to kill himself, but not before the love of his life finds out her husband is cheating on her and decides to end her own life as well. Tomas takes this opportunity to take her with him into death, as the one woman in his life, as far as we know, that he has a shred of respect for. This is revealed as he makes a list of the women he's slept with, laughing as he remembers their nick names, not necessarily even their real ones.
Visually, this film marks a point before Cuaron adopted his now staple handicam cinematography. The shots are graceful and smooth, the editing the same. It was gorgeous, with more than one shot inserted solely for the composition (off the top of my head, the vial of Tomas' blood filling up in front of a black background, though the room was white) At more than one time I felt like pausing the film just to take in the images.
While it marks a step toward what he will become, Solo Con Tu Pareja is a much more accessible and enjoyable film than the challenging ones that Cuaron eventually becomes known for. As a ribald comedy it succeeds, and it may be due to it's not trying to be. I'm not saying it's trying to be popcorn, but it also doesn't strive to change lives.