Search - Dona Herlinda and Her Son on DVD

Life in Mexico

Roger W. Davenport | Brooklyn, New York United States | 12/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I lived in Guadalajara--in fact I came out in Guadalajara. Mexico oozes sexuality from its every pore and yet the sexual restrictions in the country are tremendous and probably contribute to the enormous amount of homosexuality that exists. A single man, especially a professional, will not succeed in Mexico unless he is married and that creates the enormous "bisexual" population which is really gay men married to "tapar el ojo al macho." It is foreign to the American experience; two men living together is still groundbreaking in Mexico. This movie captures every gay Mexican male's fantasy: a mother who not only accepts her son's gayness but moves the earth and a bit of heaven too so that her son can be properly married and have his lover at hand. It is sly and cunning and it is delicious. If you know Mexico you know how subversive this film was. And it continues to be. It is not a relic--homosexual habits change slowly in Mexico. And Dona Herlinda does not "ignore" her son making out with his lover in the garden when she brings them lemonade. He is doing exactly what she expects him to be doing and her blithe offer of lemonade as though they were reading books is bitingly hilarious. You do not have to live in Mexico to appreciate the almost black humor of this film which was made in the 80's when WE in the US were still watching Sly and Ahnuld collect sweat on their pecs. Imagine a land where homosexual behavior can be so repressed and then a film like this comes along and sticks its finger in society's eye. Spectacular in concept and execution."

Good film - poor dvd

W. Oliver | Alabama | 06/14/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This strange and unconventional film is refreshing in its honesty. It is the story of a controlling mother who makes life happy for everyone by moving in her gay son's lover to live with them yet also arranging a heterosexual marriage for him so that she can have grandchildren! The refreshing aspect of the film is that the situations are presented naturally and without pretext. Even the gay sex scenes are playfully done (although not explicit), something you would rarely see in an American film. It is a funny and entertaining film, well acted and directed, and an interesting depiction of South American culture and home life.Now for the bad news - the dvd is poorly presented. It's obvious that no digital enhancement was done. It resembles an old tv episode with dark shadows, bleeding colors and the picture is extremely soft. It is shown in full screen format (it was probably filmed that way, although I can't be sure). But worst of all, the sub-titles are atrocious! They appear only as the characters are speaking and, as the Spanish language is spoken fast, there are many instances when the text appears so ridiculously quick that you don't have time to read it!"

A charming Mexican Romantic Comedy

W. Oliver | 06/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who has any familarity with Mexican culture will immediately identify with this movie. The son who does his mother's bidding no matter what. The young woman who marries to escape the constrictions of the family. The closeted nature of gay life in Mexico. The mother who works to make sure her son is happy as well as presents the proper appearance in society. Someone from the United States might wonder what all the fuss is about. But the movie touches on the Mexican world view and gay people in a compassionate manner for the time. A good training manual for any gringo who decides to involve himself with a Mexican male."

4 Stars for Movie, 1 Star for POOR QUALITY DVD

Robert Amsel | Steelton, PA USA | 01/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The incredibly poor and careless copying of this charming movie to DVD by Vanguard Cinema prompts me to suggest that ANY video version, even an old and faded one, is preferable. The DVD's color quality is mediocre and looks like a second or third generation video dubbing to DVD, but it is not. I know this because you can even see the film reel run out at the end following the titles. This is hardly a surprise considering everything else about this DVD! There are glitches and jumps in the picture throughout. There are dropouts and clicks in the sound throughout. And the subtitles -- the new subtitles in English (unremovable, I might add) were typed by someone totally unfamiliar with English punctuation, who never heard of an apostrophe and is doubtful about the use of question marks, commas, exclamation points, etc. The DVD version is an insult to everyone involved in the making of this 1985 Mexican comedy about a conniving mother's plans to keep her gay son happy by first, moving his lover into their home, and second, promoting a marriage for her son so that she may have grandchildren. It takes the idea of "extended family" to a new dimension. The characters (and actors who portray them) are all very attractive and likeable. To me, the one thing lacking is that the filmmaker (or writer) never deals with the bride's awareness or lack of awareness to the situation into which she marries. And she's not a stupid woman. She's a clear-headed feminist who works to promote Amnesty International, yet seems strangely dense when it comes to her married life, other than to note (to her husband's male lover) that her husband is "a male chauvinist"."