Sexo, pudor y lágrimas

I didn't find this movie so interesting.

The main conflict takes time to appear, which makes it a bit tedious at first, the way the story is told does not seem interesting to me because the way of the meaning of love unfolds does not seem to me to be the right one, the ending seems a bit disconcerting to me since they are interpreted as toxic love relationships. But the acting is good, the character development is decent, and the humor is funny at times.

It's not a bad movie, but it seems to me that the execution on exposing the meaning of love I don't think it's the right one, sometimes it seems more toxic than love, but it can't be denied that this movie is a starting point for a new era of Mexican cinema.

Yes. I'll admit it. I believed all the hype surrounding this piece of work, about the trials and tribulations of 6 people, living in Mexico City concerning their sexual lives. And so, I was really expecting to finally see a Mexican movie (in ages) that was both popular and interesting to watch. Unfortunately the film was utterly disappointing. The story presents us with two couples, both with very obvious marital problems. When a third party comes into the life of each couple, their problems reach a pivotal point. Or absolute absurd. The plot then turns into a battle of the sexes. The stance taken by each group (yes, they literally group, girls with girls and boys with boys) is blatantly stupid and childish (I guess the humor was supposed to be there). And it all goes from bad to worse. The performances range from good (Miss Zavaleta) to mediocre (Mr Bichir), with Serrano doing an acceptable job on his opera prima. However, the flat circumstances that make up the plot, the one-dimensional characters, the very poor (if not stupid) perception of what sex represents in a mature relationship etc, make the movie fail. Miserably. SPyL has had an (impressive) good reception at the box-office. Believe the hype at your own risk.

In its context, Sexo, Pudor, y Lagrimas IS groundbreaking... I personally dislike the film, but I recognise its importance; seldom had this dialogue been uttered in Spanish in Mexican screens. Yet it is exactly there that the problem lies, I suppose: while some of the ideas espoused are valid, it would be disingenuous to say they are fresh.

A lot of it has a nagging, self-congratulatory feel, and the blend of philosophical reflection with farce would be better left to a seasoned filmmaker such as Woody Allen. For something that aspires to be so authentic, it feels stilted and irrelevant; it brings nothing new to the table. In hindsight, given the film's ambitions, the execution (poorly written characters, contrived situations, overly obvious--show, not tell, right?--points) seems all too... vulgar.

The salvation: good performances, especially from Cecilia Suarez, who provides some of the few genuine moments in this otherwise pretentious mess.

Decent display of daily life of Mexican people in their early 30's and how they deal with sex, passion, and more.

The acting is overall good. These new actors from the new generation of "Cine Mexicano" demonstrate why they are considered among the best. Susana Zabaleta is amazing as always. She's sexy, hot, and talented. The rest of the cast is also great and give a special spark to their characters.

The screenplay is also very good and keeps you interested because there is comedy, drama, romance, and lust. So if you are into new Mexican cinema, you will mostly enjoy this movie.

On the negative side, I must say that this movie is also highly overrated because many consider it as a gem or something. The truth is that it's only purpose was to storm the box office and somehow re-birth these kind of dramatic romance comedies.

Give it a try and be objective.

Actually I enjoyed this movie (and sorry Sergio, I'm not from Mexico). It may not be as great as some claim, but still it has something to offer. Funny and sad at the same time. Not 'typically' Mexican, I mean: it is relevant to western modern life and love relationship in general. Not only to Mexico. Artists (at best) have a vision to express, no matter where they do come from. One should not expect Mexican directors to make only movies about Mexico, Brazilian ones about Brazil, Iranian ones about Iran,... U.S. and European directors are not the only ones that have the right or the ability to be universal. Far from it. (However, a movie can sometimes be time- and location-specific and yet be universal; that's the magic of humankind)

In brief, an interesting movie. Some parts of it are clumsy, but nevertheless it's worth watching it.