Alfonso Cuarón, International Man – Returning home allowed Cuarón to concentrate on one of Mexico’s peculiar contributions to cinematic technique, the plano secuencia—a long, traveling master shot, designed with complex camera moves, that effectively prevents the use of close-ups, inserts, and other forms of coverage. Cuarón calls them “one-shot deals,” and they figure heavily in Y Tu Mamá. “A close-up separates a character from its environment,” says Cuarón, “but in this film, character and environment are equally important; one is a product of the other. That’s why I opted to do one-shot deals all the time.”
