I’ve always appreciated comedy above nearly every other genre, specifically when it comes to looking at a cultural landscape. Few other genres are capable of capturing the true spirit of a time and place, as well as the people who occupied it, more than those works that aim to make audiences laugh. Sometimes viewing these films as an outsider can be a bewildering experience, since the language barrier and very particular references make it difficult to understand the humour – yet, there is always something so valuable about at least trying to look for the root of what makes these works so incredibly entertaining. In this regard, we can cast our gaze over to the wonderful nation of Mexico, which has had a long and storied history of a very precise kind of humour, all of it rooted quite heavily in their cultural traditions, which filmmakers like Gilberto Martínez Solares successfully used as the foundation for several hysterical comedies over the years. Tender Little Pumpkins (Spanish: Calabacitas tiernas) is one of the most celebrated films to emerge out of the country at this particular moment, functioning as a star vehicle for Germán Valdés, who was better known to his compatriots by the name “Tin-Tan”, his comedic persona that took centre-stage in a range of hilarious comedies over the years, and in this case served as the central figure in a deliriously funny and frequently engaging comedy of manners that has an acidic streak flowing through it, telling the story of a poor man whose suicide attempt inadvertently places him in the position of wealth and influence, but at a very particular cost. Tender Little Pumpkins is bizarre, scathing and truly unforgettable, and it’s difficult to imagine anywhere where it could’ve been improved outside of perhaps having a wider viewership.

As one of Mexico’s biggest stars, Valdés was someone audiences were naturally going to flock to see, and the Tin-Tan character was wildly successful, joining a long culture of comedic creations that existed across time and space in order to be the central figure in a range of comedies, which are only related through sharing his presence. Understanding his success is something of a minor challenge, since purely based on his acting style, he’d not be the first person one would expect to be an endearing protagonist. The character has ambigious morals, and depends on his ability to weasel his way in and out of any situation without any consequences or feelings of remorse. Yet, even when his face is contorted into a range of grotesque expressions, or he finds himself in a situation of complete immorality, it’s difficult to not be at least vaguely enchanted. Tin-Tan was built on having a very unconventional sense of charisma, and Martínez Solares makes sure that this is clear in every moment, which is a notable challenge considering how everything in Tender Little Pumpkins is filtered through his perspective in one way or another. It’s a charming performance, but one that doesn’t get there particularly easily. He’s helped along by some genuinely lovable performances by  Rosita Quintana and Nelly Montiel (both of whom hold their own against the eccentric men who exist throughout the film), who may not be much more moral, but at least seem to resemble more realistic individuals, something that the Tin-Tan character intentionally avoided. Once we can get over the obstacle of understanding why these archetypes are funny, the rest of Tender Little Pumpkins is very easy to decipher.

Even if it is a relatively mainstream effort, it was of vital importance that Tender Little Pumpkins had characters that could play into the more socio-cultural aspects of the story, since it would be foolish to suggest that the director was solely trying to make a senseless comedy without any depth. Considering the tumultuous social and political events that occurred around this time, it’s not out of the realm of reason that this film was crafted as a social satire, and it doesn’t take too much work to figure out exactly what Martínez Solares was intending to do with this material. It’s certainly a very funny film based solely on the eccentric humour that underpins each situation, but it’s the context in which they appear that elevates the film to a different level. Firstly, this is a film heavily inspired by the class division – it starts with a man trying, by hook or by crook, to make a meagre living, and when all hope seems lost, he attempts suicide, only to have his revolver backfire, instead killing a complete stranger, taking this attempt at ending his own life to a situation where he is a murderer, which ultimately forces him to make a run for it, or pay the immense consequences. This is one of the centrepiece scenes of Tender Little Pumpkins, and is a moment in which the viewer isn’t sure whether to laugh or not, since it’s done with the same off-the-wall idiosyncrasy, but is theoretically much darker and more bleak, which ultimately converges into a series of misadventures for the main character. Throughout the film, the director makes sure to remind us that, while he may be likeable, everything Tin-Tan is doing is an effort to evade responsibility, and we ourselves become conflicted, not knowing whether we should be rooting for him to get his comeuppance as moral citizens, or to see him get away with it, since he is such an entertaining figure. It’s this kind of duality that makes Tender Little Pumpkins such a bewilderingly fascinating piece, and allows us to redefine the intentions of comedy, not only as a tool of entertainment, but also to provoke thought, which this film certainly does achieve.

Ultimately, the elements that make Tender Little Pumpkins so special can be condensed into how the film is both conventional and challenging, looking at a range of issues through the lens of a truly eccentric comedy. The humour is not particularly easy to understand, since so much of it comes through in the cultural quirks that the director extensively explores – but the tone and register that surrounds it is more than adequate in helping us understand exactly why this film is so cherished. The specific references may be lost on those of us that don’t come from a background that is familiar with this subject matter, meaning our mileage with Tender Little Pumpkins is far more limited. However, this doesn’t actually mean all that much, since we can tell immediately what the intentions of this film were. Somehow, this quaint film blends slapstick humour and scathing satire in its pursuit of some deeper meaning, which ultimately leads to an enthralling 100 minutes of madcap energy, in which we’re invited to accompany an iconic character on one of his many notable escapades – and it is an absolute delight, a well-crafted comedy with a ton of heart and a shockingly engaging sense of humour that almost feels ahead of its time, while still being quintessentially tied to a particular moment in Mexican history, making Tender Little Pumpkins one of the most engaging historical documents of its time, and a truly puzzling film in the best way possible.