ABSTRACT
‘ Chapter 10: Ecstasy’ acts as a conclusion to the book, reading the reiterative ‘conclusions’ of the film and its mythological stories of adolescence and youthful identity. The final sequence, back in Mexico City, discloses the so-called happily-ever-after for Julio and Tenoch: mostly conformity and scripts of adulthood. Change is difficult, slow even for the bravest of new world orders, and elusive for most. But the penultimate sequence shows glimpses of hope through, ironically, the short-lived but buoyant Luisa. Her final images cascade in ecstasy. Ultimate conclusions emphasize how explorations of youthful sexual developments reveal processes of identity formation that transcend itemized lists or manifesto-like declarations. Y Tu Mamá También and its mythologies of youth enact a hopeful vision and practical realization of revolutionary possibilities at the turn to the 21st century. Better than limited but falsely reassuring answers, viewers are left with provocative, profound, and uplifting questions.
