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Eireann Harper, Diego Catano, Salvador Elizondo, Michele Alban, Cristina Orozco ... see more see more... , Mariana Elizondo , Pia Elizondo , Emilia Garcia , Mateo Garcia , Jeronimo Garcia , Paulina Lavista , Pablo Elizondo , Katie Hegarty , Max Shmookler

Noted director Alfonso Cuaron's son Jonas helmed this drama, which embodies one of the most unusual features to emerge on the international scene in quite some time. An experimental work overtly influ... read more read more...enced by Chris Marker's La jet (C)e, it relies exclusively on a series of still photographs to establish its narrative trajectory, and thus avoids the moving image altogether. As the work opens, a title reads, "From 2004-5 I took photos of everything around me. At the end of that year, I ordered the images in such a way that they suggested the following narrative to me." Strategically building on this idea, the film then uses snapshots to weave the tale of an on-again, off-again cross-cultural romance between an American college student named Molly (Eireann Harper) and a 14-year-old Mexican boy called Diego (Diego Catao). As the tale opens, Molly is spending the summer in Mexico City and taking a class at a language school, while on the rebound from a recent relationship. When she goes sightseeing with her friend Katie (Katie Hegarty), her path soon intersects with that of Diego, a young man who harbors an obsessive interest in his female cousin. He's also extremely concerned about his terminally grandfather (Salvador Elizondo). The two adolescents sense an immediate connection, strong enough that when Molly returns home and lapses into an affair with a professor; she cannot quite forget Diego. Thousands of miles separate the couple, but two possibilities for a reunion linger - Molly's intention to return to Mexico City and Diego's plan to visit Molly in the Big Apple. Both experiences will provide unforgettable memories - but will the relationship survive the ravages of time and distance? ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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73% liked it

240 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

11 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 19 min.

Directed by: Jonás Cuarón

Release Date: March 23, 2007

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Flixster Reviews (24)


  • fb1144932598
    November 30, 2011
    fb1144932598
    A unique film, unlike any other this viewer has seen. The entire story is told with black and white still photographs and voice-over dialog. This was captivating as it told the story of a young, horny, fourteen year-old Mexican boy and the college-age Gringa that he becomes infa... read moretuated with over the course of a few months. The relationship that develops remains platonic, but only because neither truly knows what the other is thinking. At times it felt like a commentary on the cultural divide between two people from different backgrounds, and at other times it felt more like a straightforward coming of age tale. But it always kept the viewer's interest.
  • September 29, 2009
    The second the narration starts, you just completely forget you are watching still photographs for 70+ minutes. The story is so extremely simple, but executed with such lovely, funny, sweet and touching characters that you can't help but fall in love; it was a will-they-or-won't-... read morethey anxiety I was very happy to be going through. I can't describe the movie anything better than pure enjoyment all the way through.

Critic Reviews


Amie Bolissian
November 28, 2008
Amie Bolissian, Empire Magazine

There are moments of self-indulgence but, overall, Cuarón Sr. should be proud. Full Review

Wally Hammond
November 28, 2008
Wally Hammond, Time Out

The major enjoyment of the film comes not from the experiment but its gentle meditations on belonging, loneliness, family, love and the nature of cultural, sexual and emotional boundaries. In addition... Full Review

Anton Bitel
November 28, 2008
Anton Bitel, Film4

A charming and intimate photo album of the imagination in which time and memory, though up to all their usual tricks, still offer snapshots of a singular truth. Full Review

James Christopher
November 28, 2008
James Christopher, Times [UK]

The way that thoughts and images slip and slide over each other is inspired. If only the characters were slightly less emotionally monosyllabic. Full Review

Peter Bradshaw
November 28, 2008
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

The cardinal sin of this kind of movie, however, is to be boring. Cuarón Jr does not commit it. Full Review

David Gritten
November 28, 2008
David Gritten, Daily Telegraph

Agreeably short, but it's hard to overlook that it's only a parade of still images. A film, certainly, but not quite a movie. Full Review

Elliott Noble
November 28, 2008
Elliott Noble, Sky Movies

Executive produced by his father and proving that talent is not hereditary, this ill-advised bit of showing off from Jonás Cuarón is exactly what you get when artistic parents indulge their offspring. Full Review

Nigel Andrews
November 28, 2008
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

Paradoxes, riddles, exchanges; apocalypses of the mind and heart. This tender, funny, constantly surprising film is the debut of the year. Full Review

Robert Hanks
November 28, 2008
Robert Hanks, Independent

The story, about a Mexican boy's overheated crush on an American student, is indescribably banal and amateurishly acted. Full Review

Charlotte O'Sullivan
November 28, 2008
Charlotte O'Sullivan, This is London

Año Uña feels like a calling card from a promising talent - but, as with a summer romance, it's not built to last. Full Review

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