Desert Mountain Media // Unrated // $19.99 // January 7, 2003

A light comedy wrapped around a faux-documentary, Cilantro y Perejil won a total of 9 Ariel Awards (the Mexican equivalent of an Oscar) after its release, making it one of the most successful films in the history of Mexican cinema. Nora (Alpha Acosta), a young college student, is making a documentary which explores relationships in her family and by doing so, will attempt to answer the age-old question: what makes the perfect couple? As fate would have it, she begins filming by interviewing her elder sister Susana (Arcelia Ramirez) and her husband Carlos (Demian Bichir) on a bad evening, and actually captures their decision to separate on film. Undaunted, Nora continues shooting the interactions between other couples in her family, including her parents (who appear to be actively vying for the "Best Couple" title without much competition) and a developing relationship between her grandmother and an attentive antiques expert. Much of the film focuses on the fairly predictable ups and downs of Susana and Carlos' separation, with performances by Bichir and Ramirez realistically capturing the shifting emotions and uncertainty inherent in the breakdown of a modern marriage. In the end, it is the social commentary provided by a psychiatrist (German Dehesa) that gives the story weight and a bit of depth. His musings about Mexico's economic recession and its effects on relationships are interspersed with the interactions of the various couples, offering humorous, and sometimes painfully true observations on why couples stay together, or go their separate ways.

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