AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! (Don’t Know) How To Be is the fourth film by Mexican filmmaker Salvador Espinosa, who is known for directing TV series, including La Clínica, Club de Cuervos, and the Emmy Award-winning El Vato. In addition, (Don’t Know) How To Be was written by and stars award-winning Mexican actress and comedian Tato Alexander, a stage actress who has also appeared in several feature films and television shows, including Backdoor, a sketch comedy that has become a benchmark for the format in Latin America.
Sweet and endearing, yet provocative, this comedic drama features conversations and actions with an array of cultural angles as it examines how tradition and modern ideals interact through interesting generational differences during a family gathering. The film offers a uniquely genuine perspective on the current challenges of individuality and family, from leading voices in Mexican filmmaking and comedy, who also pay homage to traditional Latin American filmmaking, creating a theater-like atmosphere all in one location.
(Don’t Know) How To Be follows Majo (Tato Alexander) and Cris (Memo Villegas), a millennial couple in their thirties, and Vivián (Arcelia Ramírez) and Héctor (Gerardo Trejoluna), Cris’ boomer parents, as they clash over values and expectations from one’s microbiome and polishing nails for an engagement ring to the parents’ electronic music and shots, and a whole lot more that you might not expect.
“…a millennial couple in their thirties… clash over values and expectations…”
Majo hopes Cris will finally propose when they spend her birthday at his parents’ house, but she soon realizes that he does not believe in marriage. When the couple joins his parents for a birthday dinner —a night meant for celebration—unraveled into a comic battleground of clashing values, family pressures, and generational identity crises, where everyone must face the fact that nowadays no one really knows “how to be.”
As tensions rise and facades break down, Cris gives in to the idea of a proposal, turning what was supposed to be a quiet afternoon into an impromptu engagement party—an unexpected turn of events that leaves everyone unsure how to react. Aptly titled, (Don’t Know) How To Be captures many relatable moments of awkwardness that can’t be ignored, skillfully handled by the experienced parents Vivián and Héctor, and serves as a teaching moment for Majo and Cris. Great camera work, excellent acting, perfect timing, and a natural sense of humor all contribute to a heartfelt story about love, in whatever way it needs to be.
As an existential romantic comedy, (Don’t Know) How To Be is a charming and engaging look at family and generational relationships amid the chaos of our ever-changing and crazy world, brought to life by a confident and creative filmmaker and cast, you can’t help but love.
(Don’t Know) How To Be screened at the 2025 Austin Film Festival.
"…charming and engaging.."
