Like Water For Chocolate

A truly enchanting movie that scooped 11 Awards upon its initial release in 1992, Alfonso Arau’s mesmerising adaption of Laura Esquivel’s debut novel Coma agua para chocolate blends elements of magical and surreal fantasy with reality.

The story stretches over twenty years and starts around the time of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. The heroine is Tita (Lumi Cavazos), the youngest of Mamà Elena’s (Regina Tornè) three daughters. When Tita falls hopelessly in love with the charming Pedro (Marco Leonardi) and intends on getting married, but her heartless mother intervenes: tradition demands that Tita, as the youngest daughter, remains pure and looks after her mother till her dying day. Suffice to say Tita and Pedro are none too pleased, but for the sake of peace Mamà Elena makes an offer: Pedro is welcome to marry Rosaura (Yareli Arizmendi), the eldest of the three sisters, instead. To Tita’s distress Pedro accepts, but as he reveals later he only accepted the proposal so he can remain close to his beloved Tita. On the day of the wedding Tita’a tears are mixed with the dough of the cake and it causes a peculiar reaction amongst family and guests: at first everyone starts vomiting, then everyone feels a burning desire for TRUE love. On another occasion Tita, who is treated by her cruel mother like a kitchen maid, seasons a sauce which causes fits of passion in those who eat it – which results in fiery second daughter Getrudis (Claudette Maillé) running away to hook up with the leader of a revolutionary gang. Henceforth Tita, whose only friend in the world seems to be grandma Nacha (Ada Carrasco) expresses her emotions through cooking and baking.

After the birth of Rosaura and Pedro’s first child the young women is too ill to breastfeed her baby, so Tita steps in. With growing suspicion, Mamà Elena watches as Pedro seems to spend a lot of time with Tita in the kitchen, and arranges for the married couple to move across the Mexican border and live in a villa. A few months later, the little baby dies. This sends Tita over the edge who retreats and locks herself in the attic. When sympathetic Texan Doctor John Brown (Mario Iván Martinez) arrives on the horizon, he takes Tita with him in an effort to cure her. This he manages but also falls in love with his patient. Reluctantly, Tita agrees to the marriage though of course mother dearest once again tries to intervene, explaining to Dr. Brown that tradition forbids Tita to get married. Nonetheless they get engaged. Some time later, Mama Elenà is killed by marauding revolutionaries, and the couple are planning on tying the knot. Meanwhile, Rosaura and Pedro have moved back with the intention on taking over the estate, but while Rosaura falls increasingly ill due to unexplainable digestive problems, Tita and Pedro begin to see each other again in secret. Not even the re-appearing ghost of the mother can stop Tita from doing so, and the pair finally consummate their love. As the day of Tita’s wedding is looming, she feels riddled by guilt and confesses to John that she has slept with Pedro because it is him she truly loves. To her surprise, John shows a great deal of understanding despite his disappointment and eventually breaks off the engagement. Some more years pass, and finally it is Tita’s turn to marry her beloved Pedro. On the wedding night, however, an ancient legend stating that all humans are matchsticks who ignite during the moment of their biggest passion becomes true. To the music of Wagner’s ‘Tristan & Isolde’ Tita and Pedro’s passion is literally consumed by flames…

This beautifully acted and splendidly shot tale is available in Dual Format edition with various commentaries by director and cast as Bonus.