A delightfully mannered and offbeat take on the oft-told ‘coming of age’ story, Fernando Eimbcke’s charming film is both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny as the relationship between a boy and his loving mother is tested by the arrival on the scene of a girl his own age.
35-year-old single mother Paloma (María Renée Prudencio) and her fifteen-year-old son Hector (Lucio Giménez Cacho Goded) are the very best of friends. But while their relationship is wonderfully close, Hector is also changing. The arrival of Jazmin (Danae Reynaud) at the resort complicates matters further. The teens start to spend time together with the sexual chemistry becoming more and more palpable.
The joy of the film is Paloma’s reaction to the prospect of her son/best friend being entranced by Jazmin. Reacting almost like a jealous lover, she seeks to gently sabotage their time together. Mexican film-maker Eimbcke’s third feature film is brimming with subtle but extremely funny sequences and directed with compassion and delicacy.
Mark Adams
Screen International
Winner, Best Film, Turin Film Festival
