Mexican directorAlfonso Cuarónis one of the most versatile filmmakers at work today. Few storytellers can switch between fantasy, sci-fi, and realistic drama as he can.Y tu mamá tambiénandRomaare among the best movies of the 21st century, andPrisoner of Azkabanrepresents the pinnacle of theHarry Potterseries.His next moviewill likely be aPhilip K. Dickbiopic for Amazon, withCharlize Theronattached.
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Like most great directors, Cuarón is also a big movie fan who watches alotof films. “When I was in my youth I’d go to the movies every single day. Sometimes twice a day,” he hassaid. “Eventually, you don’t have the time for that. But I definitely still watch whenever I can. It’s almost like a need for me to be connecting with cinema.”
‘She Will’ (2021)
She Willis a horror movie directed byCharlotte Colbertand produced bygialloiconDario Argento. It starsAlice Krigeas Veronica, a woman who heads to a retreat in the Scottish highlands to recover from a double mastectomy. The retreat is built at a spot where witches were burned long ago, and their memory begins to haunt Veronica’s dreams.
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“She Willsits in the tradition of great psychological horror films [which] leaves one questioning long after [it] is finished,” Cuarónsaid. “The images, symbolism, and layers within the story slowly convey a metaphysical ecstasy […] Charlotte Colbert has crafted a powerful debut.”
‘The Poseidon Adventure’ (1972)
The Poseidon Adventureisa disaster movieproduced byIrwin Allen. It starsGene Hackmanand centers on a luxury cruise liner that is overturned by a tsunami. A rescue team races to rescue the crew and guests trapped on the vessel.
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“The originalPoseidon Adventureis one of my favorite films. I love that film,” Cuarón has said. “When I sawThe Poseidon Adventuresas a kid I was surprised. I’ve seen it many times in my life now and every time it feels like an original film. There’s something specific about it that I truly enjoy.”
‘Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000’
Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000is a drama by Swiss directorAlain Tanner. It follows several characters in the wake of the civil unrest that swept France in 1968. They include a trade unionist, an artist, and a history professor. Each of them struggles to find meaning in their lives after the tumultuous events, and their paths eventually cross on a communal farm.
“It shows the failure of ideology [and] that change would only happen through the evolution of the human spirit,” Cuarónsays. “Jonah is very sad in a way, but with a glimpse of hope in the unborn child that represents the future. It’s not unlikeChildren of Men. Now we’re talking about this, I see how much I’ve ripped off from it.” He even named his son Jonas in honor of the film.
‘Blacula’ (1972)
As a kid, Cuarón and his siblings practically lived at the cinema.“We were all moviegoers,” his brotherCarloshassaid. “My mother, father, our nanny, everyone. Back then, you would go to the movies for two pesos and watch three different films."
One of the movies they adored back then wasthis goofy horrorabout an ancient African prince (William Marshall) who is transformed into a vampire and winds up in New York City in the 1970s. Although not very well-reviewed, it was a big box office success, launching a wave of blaxploitation horrors. It’s also probably the only horror movie with a funk soundtrack.
‘Light Years Away’ (1981)
Light Years Awayis another drama from Alain Tanner. It follows an aimless young drifter who crosses paths with an old man who claims that birds have taught him how to fly. “More than my work, [Tanner’s filmography] has influenced me personally, in its search for an alternative way of living,” Cuarón says.
“There are a lot of Jonah characters walking around in the world today: some who were absorbed […] and became the opposite of what they dreamed, and others who, even if they know the solution will not come with them, are nurturing the next generation. We need to start listening to what young people have to say.”
‘Canoa’ (1976)
This drama is based on real events that took place in a small village in Puebla, Mexico in 1968. It follows a group of young university employees planning to hike up the volcano La Malinche. They intend to spend the night at a nearby village, but a right-wing priest convinces the locals that they are communists and urges them to lynch the men.
Canoais a powerful story about the fractured political landscape of mid-20th century Mexico, but also distrust and tribalism generally. “Do not missCanoa,” Cuaróntweeted. “[It’s a] fundamental work of Mexican cinema.”
‘Ana and Bruno’ (2017)
Ana and Brunois an animated adventure film about a young girl looking for her father in the hopes that he can help her save her mother. It’s a dark,Coraline-esque animated tale, with impressively frightening characters for a kids' movie, not to mention some pretty heavy subject matter including mental illness and death.
Cuarón was a big fan, as was fellow Mexican directorGuillermo Del Toro. The character of Carmen is also voiced by Cuarón collaboratorMarina de Tavira, whostarredinRoma.
‘Marooned’ (1969)
Maroonedis a sci-fi thriller about a group of astronauts who are stranded in space, their oxygen reserves slowly running out. It was a cultural sensation on release, premiering just a few months after the Apollo 11 moon landing.
“I watched theGregory PeckmovieMaroonedover and over as a kid,” CuaróntoldWired. Indeed,Marooned’s influence onGravityis clear to see. The characters inRomaeven watchMaroonedin one scene.
‘Beneath the Planet of the Apes’ (1970)
The second entry in thePlanet of the Apesfranchise received mixed reviews, but Cuarón is a big fan. A second spaceship is sent to the ape planet to search for the characters from the first film. There, they discover an underground city inhabited by telepathic humans who worship an old nuclear bomb.
It’s pretty wacky, but Cuarón seems to have a fondness for this kind of over-the-top sci-fi adventure. He and his brother watched all the movies in the series as kids growing up in Mexico City. He alsoreferencesBeneath the Planetof the Apesrepeatedly throughoutGravity.
‘Runaway Train’ (1985)
This action thriller starsJon VoightandEric Robertsas a pair of convicts who escape from prison only to become stuck on a runaway train as it rockets through the snowy wastes of Alaska. It’s notable for being based on a story byAkira Kurosawa, and for beingDanny Trejo’s feature debut.
The film packs plenty of great stunts and action scenes, as well as energetic performances from the leads. Along with other movies likeA Man EscapedandSteven Spielberg’sDuel, Cuarón has said thatRunaway Trainwas a biginfluenceonGravity.
