Mexico hopes for another international hit with soccer drama 'Rudo Y Cursi'

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In recent years, Mexican cinema has grown hot on the international movie scene.

Directors Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu have made a series of critical and box office hits. And young actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna have emerged as international stars since the release of the hit 2001 Mexican film “Y Tu Mama También.”

Bernal and Luna have teamed up again with the Spanish-language dramatic-comedy “Rudo Y Cursi,” which is scheduled to open Friday in the Central Valley.

The film was written and directed by Carlos Cuarón, who wrote the screenplay for “Y Tu Mama También” and is the brother of Alfonso Cuarón, who co-produced “Rudo Y Cursi” with del Toro and Iñárritu.

“Rudo Y Cursi” tells the story of two half-brothers who are discovered by an unscrupulous soccer scout and then find fame and fortune in sprawling and imposing Mexico City.

Full of biting humor about corruption in Mexico City’s professional soccer ranks, the film also tells a moving story of the relationship between the often-battling brothers, played by Bernal and Luna.

We caught up with the 42-year-old Cuarón for a phone interview about the movie, working with Bernal and Luna and the growing stature of Mexican cinema on the international movie scene.

Question: You mentioned [in a book about “Rudo Y Cursi”] that, originally, your idea was to have only one character. But later you transformed him into two because both Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna wanted to be in the movie. Is that true?
Answer: Yes, correct. The original idea was to do like a fake documentary about a soccer player who becomes famous but later disappears.

Q: There is great chemistry between Garcia and Luna. What makes them special together?

A: The chemistry between them is unmatched. When they are together, they are like a third entity. They create magic.

Q: Why is the character “Batuta” — the agent who goes around the Mexican countryside “discovering” young soccer talents to bring them to professional teams in Mexico City — an Argentine?

A: Argentines are part of our social landscape in Mexico. We received a large number of Argentine refugees during the military junta in Argentina (1976-1982) and then during the deep financial crisis of 2002. And we have lot of Argentines involved in soccer: players, coaches, and agents like Batuta.

Q: There is a constant “duality” in the movie.

A: Yes, I planned it that way. Even the title. It’s a balance between two poles, attraction and rejection.

Q: And in the end, after all the characters endure, do they learn anything?

A: Yes, they learn to recognize themselves. They accept each other now.

Q: Mexican cinema is getting better. Do you think it will continue?

A: Yes. There are great directors — my brother, Alfonso Cuaron (“Y Tu Mama También,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Children of Men”), Guillermo del Toro (“The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labyrinth”) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (“Amores Perros,” “Babel” and “21 Grams”). We also have excellent actors and actresses.

Q: Is the current swine flu crisis in Mexico affecting the movie industry?

A: Well, people are not going to the movies now, and this hurts the industry.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: Now I am promoting “Rudo Y Cursi” in the states. Then I am planning to rest.

  Eduardo Stanley is the editor of El Sol, the Spanish-language weekly of the Times-Delta and Advance-Register.

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