Y Tu Mamá También

How this film uses it

Cuarón dropped the dollies and polished close-ups of his Hollywood films and shot the whole thing handheld. The actors improvised a lot of their scenes. It feels like you're riding in the back seat with them.

Where to see it

The drive through rural Mexico. Julio, Tenoch and Luisa talk and joke in the car, boasting about sex while Luisa asks them questions.

How this film uses it

Every so often, all the sound in the scene cuts out and a calm narrator takes over. In that sudden quiet, he tells you things the characters don't know, about the people and places they pass. The silence makes you lean in.

Where to see it

The fishing family at Boca del Cielo. The sound drops away while the narrator explains that the fisherman Chuy and his family will later lose their land to a hotel.

How this film uses it

The narrator knows how everything turns out and tells you about the future in a flat, matter-of-fact voice. That makes the fun of the trip feel temporary from early on. You sense the friendship won't last.

Where to see it

The final coffee. A year later, Julio and Tenoch meet by chance, make plans to see each other again, and the narrator says they never will.

How this film uses it

Tenoch is the son of a wealthy politician and Julio comes from a working-class family. Their jokes about each other's backgrounds start out playful. When jealousy kicks in, the class gap turns into real cruelty.

Where to see it

The wedding reception. The boys meet Luisa at the lavish wedding of Tenoch's sister, a world Julio only gets into as his friend.

How this film uses it

Luisa spends the trip laughing one minute and crying alone the next. At the end, you learn she was dying of cancer and knew it the whole time. Her doctor's visit at the start and every reckless choice she made suddenly mean something new.

Where to see it

Tenoch's news. Over coffee, Tenoch tells Julio that Luisa died of cancer a month after the trip.