There are some films you aren’t supposed to watch on empty stomach. This is mostly due do content being vomit-inducing, but in some rare occassions viewer can actually get unnatural craving for food. Such films have plenty of scenes discussing and enjoying good food, and in some even rarer cases culinary delights play important element of the plot. One of the best known such films is Like Water for Chocolate, 1992 Mexican period drama directed by Alfonso Arau, which became one of the most renowned and internationally successful works of Mexican cinema at the end of 20th Century.
Like Water for Chocolate is in some ways a family affair. It is based on best-selling novel by Laura Esquivel, who also wrote the script and was Arau’s wife at the time. Plot, inspired by author’s family history, is set in Mexico in first decades of 20th Century, around the time of Mexican Revolution. Told by present-day narrator (played by Arcelia Ramirez), it deals with her great-aunt Tita (played by Lumi Cavazos), the youngest daughter of ranchers’ family living near the border with Texas. Tita, being the youngest daughter, is bound by family’s tradition never to marry and instead spend her days taking care of her widowed mother Elena (played by Regina Torné). She nevertheless catches attention of dashing young man Pedro Muzquiz (played by Marco Leonardi) who asks Elena for her hand; she refuses but instead offers hand of Tita’s older sister Rosaura (played by Yareli Arizmendi). Pedro accepts because he thinks this is the best way to stay close to Tita. She is, however, devastated and begins to spend most of her days in kitchen where house cook Nacha (played by Ada Carrasco) would teach her not only the best recipes, but also magical tricks that allow to stir different and very strong emotions among people who enjoy her meals.
Arau, mostly known as character actor who appeared in notable Hollywood films like The Wild Bunch, was already an accomplished director while making Like Water for Chocolate. Film was made with very small budget (at least for Hollywood standards) and this can be seen on screen by more experienced viewers. Arau made his film look small despite the epic scope of the plot that covers decades and looks like it could fit into the length of average Mexican telenovela. Esquivel, thankfully, was quite economical with adaptation of her plot, removing actual culinary recipes (that make large part of the book) and most of the references to actual Mexican Revolution, which is described as break with tradition, both for the society in general and the heroine. Arau nevertheless shows great skill in mixing melodrama, light comedy, tragedy and plenty of eroticism (most notable in the scene om which Gertrudis, the third sister, played by Claudette Maillé, gets so overwhelmed by passion that she jumps naked on the horse ridden by revolutionary Villista). A large part of the film contains scenes of magical realism, and some of the mysticism gets exposed by seemingly most secular character of American phyiscian Doctor John Brown, played by Mario Ivan Martinez. Arau, however, relies mostly on the very diverse and strong cast. Lumi Cavazos is very good in her role and has excellent chemistry with Italian actor Marco Leonardi, with whom she later became romantically involved in real life. Same can be said for Regina Torné as tyrannical mother that hides dark secret of her own and continues tormenting Tita even from beyond the grave. Despite having look which is at times a little rough around the edges, Like Water for Chocolate is well-directed and can be recommended even for viewers who aren’t fond of period melodramas. The film was well-received in Mexico, where it was awarded Ariel Award for Best Picture. Its good fortune continued in USA, where it was distributed by Miramax and, despite few minutes from the original version being cut, became foreign film with best box office results at the time.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/18183-como-agua-para-chocolate Critic: AA
