DOÑA HERLINDA AND HER SON / DOÑA HERLINDA Y SU HIJO
A film by Jaime Humberto Hermosillo
(Mexico, 1985, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
“A no-budget Mexican curio from the 1980s that feels like it couldn’t have been made at any other time, this comedy of bourgeois manners follows a pushy mother’s determination to ensure her son gives her a grandchild. Only thing is, he’s gay and shacked up with a besotted musical student in Guadalajara. Not that this puts Dona Herlinda off her quest, as she has no idea her son likes men. Or does she? In any other comedy, Dona Herlinda would be a nagging caricature, and the second half would feature a coming out scene, lots of histrionics and a soppy final scene of resolution. But Doña Herlinda and Her Son is far more interesting. The mother may be interfering, but she is very fond of her son’s boyfriend. Ultimately, she just wants everyone to be happy and has no intention of splitting the two men up – just so long as she gets a daughter-in-law and a grandson by the final reel. Guadalupe Del Toro is a red-rinsed hoot as Dona Herlinda, a delightful composite of Lainie Kazan and Tammy Faye Messner, while the unpredictable story keeps the viewer guessing throughout.” —BBC
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