Film Critique- Like Water for Chocolate

A Film Critique of “Like Water for Chocolate” Alfonso Arau’s movie “Like Water for Chocolate” is an adaptation of the novel written by Laura Esquivel. The movie relates a passionate and forbidden love with supernatural and abstract story details. The movie incorporates multiple love triangles, their complexity, and romantic frustration into a compelling exploration of love and family. Two sisters, Tita and Rosaura live in a conservative Hispanic household with traditional marriage practices. Tita would like to marry her love interest; however her mother, Elena forbids her from doing so. Alternatively, Pedro who is interested in Tita decides that he can acquire a level of intimacy with Tita by marrying Rosaura. More of a soap opera plotline begins to develop as the dark expectations of the married Rosaura are considered in her ambition to be the head of the household when her mother dies. A mild Nightingale syndrome creates a love triangle between Tita and her doctor John. John understands that Tita has feelings for Pedro, but he is patient to the point where she finally marries him. However Tita’s love for John is not genuine and their marriage is superseded by Tita’s true and passionate love for Pedro which lends itself ultimately to the climax and conclusion of the story.
The supernatural element of the story is expressed throughout the film. Tita is able to transfer her emotions into her recipes and cooked food. She finds this out after baking the wedding cake for the marriage of Pedro which greatly depresses her. The guests that consume the cake begin to feel similar feelings to what Tita felt as she was preparing the food. Elena’s ghost and spirit is also a recurring character in the story that endeavors to make Tita’s life difficult by continuing to disrupt Tita’s love intentions from beyond the grave.
Tita eventually confronts her mother and the conservative family ideals. This breaks Tita free psychologically from all of the restrictions and she

References: -Galeano, Eduardo. Open Veins of Latin America, Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. New York. Monthly Review Press, 1997. Print -Skidmore, Thomas, & Peter Smith. Modern Latin America. 6th Ed. New York. Oxford University Press, 2005. Print