The Cuarón brothers (director Alfonso and his younger brother writer Carlos) are the Mexican Coen brothers, insofar as anything like the Coen brothers could exist in Mexico. At least they collaborated on two edgy feature films, "Sólo con tu pareja" (1991) and "Y tu mamá también" (2001), as well as various television shows. (Alfonso, who is fluent in English has also directed "A Little Princess," "Great Expectations," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," and "Children of Men" in English.)

The Coen brother movie that "Sólo con tu pareja" ("Only with your partner," an AIDS-prevention slogan from the days when monogamy was being advocated, though the characters of the movie know the "condom code") most brings to mind is "Raising Arizona." The movie's Don Juan, Tomás Tomás (Daniel Giménez Cacho) has some of Nicolas Cage's weirdness, though Clarisa Negrete (as Mexicana flight attendant Claudia Ramírez is far more ethereal (and taller!) than Holly Hunter.

Tomás Tomás makes a living writing advertising slogans, but lives to seduce. Silvia Silva (Dobrina Liubomirova), the nurse working for Tomás's friend and physician Dr. Mateo Mateos (Luis de Icaza) knows of Tomás's reputation and is in guard to resist being charmed -- let alone seduced -- by him. She juggles the needle in his arm while drawing blood... and shows up that evening at his apartment with her nurse's white uniform changed for slinky black.

Tomás Tomás cannot enjoy his new conquest, because his boss, the demanding (sexually and in other ways) Gloria Gold (Isabel Benet) has decided to drop by to get whatever slogan he has (or, is supposed to have!) developed for canned jalapeño chiles. He attempts to satisfy both, moving from Mateo's apartment to his own on an outside ledge (with all the pratfalls, including the towel around his waist blowing away, one might expect).

Gloria, being more demanding, gets satisfaction. Silvia is justifiably annoyed that Tomás leaves her high and dry (or wet and empty...), scurrying off to the bathroom for long stretches of time (while he is really servicing Gloria). Her revenge is to send him results of his HIV test marked "positive" (though the negative result goes into his file).

Just when Tomás believes that he has found the love of his life, Teresa de Teresa (Astrid Hadad), the flight attendant whose apartment is between his and Mateo's, he is hit with news that was in 1991 regarded as a death sentence. He does not kidnap a child, but acts rashly. Meanwhile, Teresa de Teresa finds that her fiancé, a Mexicana pilot is two-timing her. After some adventures with a microwave oven, Tomás and Teresa go to the highest point in Mexico City, the top of the Latin America tower.

There are some great shots of the city from the tower and helicopter shots of the two despairing lovers atop the tower (and some more of the spiral staircase up to the highest platform). The movie is something of a valentine to Mexico City, in fact, ably shot by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (who continues to work with Cuarón and has also shot "The New World," "Sleepy Hollow," "Meet Joe Black," "A Walk in the Clouds," and "Like Water for Chocolate" -- all movies that look great whatever their shortcomings in other regards)..

I have some qualms about stereotyping in regard to the convivial Japanese doctors (Toshirô Hisaki Carlos Nakasone) eager to drink and constantly snapping photos, though they are no more absurd than the Mexicans and seem generous and easy-going.

In addition to the catalogue aria from "Don Giovanni," the soundtrack uses other music by Mozart (especially some from a wind serenade) and Couperin.

For me, "Sólo con tu pareja" is a mostly successful screwball comedy for the age of AIDS. Some of its chistes fall flat (while another drifts beautifully down...). Its initial distribution fell through, but it became a cult favorite in Mexico and now is available in an(other Criterion) excellent transfer to DVD, with an entertaining and informative "making of" featurette with Alfonso (in English) and Carlos (in Spanish with English subtitles) recalling their first feature film. A noticeably older Daniel Giménez Cacho adds his perspectives and I highly recommend the "making of" featurette to anyone who enjoys the movie itself.

There are also two earlier Cuarón brothers shorts included, each including manifest links to something in "Sólo con tu pareja." Carlos's black-and-white (1983) "Quartet for the End of Time" (using Messiaen's piece of the same name) seems dragged out (urban alienation so frequently is!), but Carlos's "Wedding Night" (2000, shot in color) is very funny and just the right length (4 minutes, in comparison to 23 for "Quartet").


© 2008, Stephen O. Murray




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