Cultures across the world often express deep love for their traditions through cuisine. The idea that heavy emotions from someone's personal life can be transferred from ingredients to table is quite a seductive one and Alfonso Arau's Like Water for Chocolate expresses this in the most amorous yet heartbreaking ways. This romance film draws the parallels of familial relationships with a passion for cooking in an absolutely beautiful fashion as Arau takes his characters from tragedy to tragedy in early 20th century Mexico. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Laura Esquivel, the story's central theme of desire pulses through its script and even in just the simple shots of food, one can easily tell how much passion was a part of this project. Arau's tantalizing film is truly one of the best about the dangers and wonders of breaking tradition, all executed through the lens of its magical realist story.
Since they were children, Tita (Lumi Cavazos) and Pedro (Marco Leonardi) have been in love and have wanted more than anything to get married and start a family. However, Tita's mother Elena (Regina Torné) forbids her from marrying due to family tradition and her sister Rosaura (Yareli Arizmendi) ends up marrying Pedro. The emotional heartbreak that Tita experiences is channeled into her cooking while she fights to discover the true passion within herself.
Read my full piece for Cineccentric's July Theme Month here!
My Rating: ★★★★
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