#353: CUARÓN, Alfonso: Sólo Con Tu Pareja (1991)

CUARÓN, Alfonso (Mexico)
Sólo Con Tu Pareja [1991]

Spine #353
DVD

Before Alfonso Cuarón brought us the international sensation Y tu mamá también, he made his mark on Mexican cinema with the ribald and lightning-quick social satire Sólo con tu pareja. Don Juan-ish yuppie Tomás Tomás (Daniel Giménez Cacho, from Bad Education) spends his nights juggling so many beautiful women that he can't keep their names straight — until one of his many conquests, a spurned nurse, gives him a taste of his own medicine. Beautifully filmed by the inimitable Emmannuel Lubezki (The New World), Cuarón's wildly successful feature debut (which was not released in the United States until 2006) offers the first glimpses of the exuberant flair that has come to define this one-of-a-kind director..

94 minutes
Color

Stereo

in Spanish

1:78:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2006

Director/Writers

Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón.

Alfonso Cuarón was 30 when he directed Sólo con tu Pareja.

Other Cuarón films in the Collection:

#723: Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
#1014: Roma (2018)

The Film

One of the initial entries into what became known as New Mexican Cinema — in that respect, it is an important work; but nevertheless somewhat flawed.

Tomás Tomás (Daniel Giménez Cacho). What a name! Shares company with Humbert Humbert or Duran Duran.

This is a pretty dark film. Criterion’s synopsis avoids spoilers by stating that “a spurned nurse gives him a taste of his own medicine.”

In point of fact, she is “spurned” because Tomás is running around two separate apartments, making love to two different women. She is definitely not satisfied and her revenge is dark. Her boss — the doctor (Mateo Mateos [Luis de Icaza]) — is mildly complicit. His character is saddled with being the screwball in this would-be Latin screwball comedy. The “spurned nurse” (Silvia, Silva — of course [Dobrina Liubomirova]) and Clarissa, the flight attendant (Claudia Ramirez) — all the female roles, in fact — are equally unrewarding stereotypes. And suicide never makes a film any chippier …

But it’s all put together so very nicely — and it is impossible not to see the promise of this youngster!

Lubezki is one of the greatest DPs around, and this early work shows his astonishing style.

And best of all, Cuarón had the good sense to score the entire film with Mozart, suffusing all the goofiness with a little gravitas:

Serenade in B-Flat Major, K. 361 “Gran Partita”

Serenade in E-Flat Major, K. 375

“Madamina, il catalogo è questo,” from Don Giovanni

When a filmmaker as talented as Cuarón comes along, a less than magnificent debut feature makes for a fascinating study in how and why an artist evolves into something more sagacious.

Film Rating (0-60):

53

The Extras

The Booklet

[Missing.] 

Featuring an essay by Ryan E. Long

“A worldwide shift in film production [occurred at this time], away from traditional, often nationally based, studio systems and toward independent and international coproductions, of which Mexico was very much a part.”

and a detailed character profile of Clarisa by Carlos Cuarón:

“After high school, Clarisa wasted no time registering for flight attendant training, and she excelled due to her polyglossia and her consistent 97s on tests that required only an 85 to pass. After a short time, her dedication to the trade earned her a promotion to the transatlantic routes. As bad luck would have it, she fell in love with the Mexico-Madrid captain, Federico Ficachi. His ex-wife, Pérfida Maltrato [Perfidious Mistreatment], the flight attendants’ manager, made sure to demote her again to the national routes …”

Commentary

None.

Making Sólo con tu pareja

A collection of video interviews with director Cuarón, screenwriter Carlos Cuarón, and actor Cacho.

Short films

By Alfonso and Carlos Cuarón.

Both silly; Alfonso’s from his student days, and Carlos’ from 2001 …

Original theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

34

53 + 34 =

87

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