The romantic foibles of two young couples in Mexico -- whose professional success has not led to personal satisfaction -- forms the basis of this comedy with serious undertones. Carlos (Victor Hugo Martin) is a student of new age spirituality, while his wife Ana (Susana Zabaleta) is a good bit more interested in the pleasures of the flesh, leading to no small amount of conflict. Tensions increase when Tomas (Demián Bichir), an old friend of the couple and Ana's former lover, comes to pay an extended visit. Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Andrea (Cecilia Suarez) is angry with her husband Miguel (Jorge Salinas), who doesn't appear to put much stock in monogamy, and she's even more annoyed when he announces that his former girlfriend Maria (Monica Dionne), who has just left her husband, will be their house guest for a while. After a great deal of arguing and soul searching, a temporary agreement is reached between the two couples and their friends -- the men will stay in one apartment while the women will stay in another until cooler heads prevail. Sexo, Pudor Y Lagrimas/Sex, Shame and Tears was written and directed by Antonio Serrano, who adapted his own successful stage play. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The film is based on the successful play of the same name, which ran for two consecutive years and was written by Serrano himself. After the film was released it broke box-office records in Mexico (118 million Mexican pesos, roughly 10.9 million U.S. dollars), it was shown for more than twenty-seven weeks, and was seen by more than eight million people in Mexico alone [1].
Tomás (Demián Bichir) returns to Mexico after a seven-year trip around the world to visit his friends Carlos (Víctor Huggo Martin) and Ana (Susana Zabaleta), a couple going through relationship problems. Ana is seduced by Tomás, who is also her ex-boyfriend, which causes Carlos to kick Tomás out of their home. Although instead of Tomás leaving, Ana leaves and moves across the street to the apartment of their friends Miguel (Jorge Salinas) and Andrea (Cecilia Suárez), another couple going through problems. The situation becomes a battle of the sexes when Miguel is kicked-out for cheating on Andrea and sent to live with the "guys" across the street and María (Mónica Dionne), their friend, joins the "girls" in a boycott against all men. Tomas then has a fling with Andrea and gets caught in the act. After seeing the emptiness of his life, punctuated with him making a scene at a local nightclub, Tomas declares his love for Ana before apparently committing suicide by walking into an elevator shaft. In the Region 4 DVD version, several alternate final scenes are explored, including Tomas surviving the fall and emerging in a full body cast.
