The film, “Like Water for Chocolate” was screened Monday, February 16th as part of the 2014-2015 Convocation Series, “Voyages of Discovery: Finding Family and Self in Film,” hosted by the Cross-Cultural Renga. Fredonia professor of Italian, Dr. Chiara De Santi, and chair of the World Languages department, Dr. Juan De Urda introduced the film. The movie is based on a novel in 1989 by first-time Mexican author, Laura Esquivel. De Urda stated that although he has both read the novel and watched the film, he is unable to determine which he did first due to the storylines of the film staying so close to the novel.
The story of Tita, a young Mexican woman, is set around 1910 during the Mexican Revolution calling for change to political and social structure of Mexico. At this time American and French culture were being syncretized into Mexico and the film truly captures that, incorporating culture of both sides of the Mexican border. During this time gender roles played a huge part in society as it was customary and traditional for the oldest daughter to be married first regardless of who is in love, as well as the youngest daughter to never marry but stay and take care of her parents until they passed. Tita finds herself stuck in the limelight of this tradition although she is passionately in love with a man named Pedro. The style of the film is magic realism and several “supernatural” components come together to illustrate a beautiful forbidden love story. The focus is on 3 main components throughout the film; food, love, and culture.
The film begins with Tita's birth where it is explained by a narrator that Tita cried a lot in her lifetime. Tita lost her father as a young girl and therefore the tradition of the youngest child taking care of the parents is very much emphasized and with a very strict mother, Tita knows she is a victim of the tradition. Subsequently, as she grows up, a man named Pedro falls in love with Tita. Pedro shows a passion for Tita that she cannot help but accept and desire to be with him. Although he is quite pushy and blunt with his love, Tita’s mother will not break tradition and instead offers her eldest daughter, Rosaura. Pedro accepts the offer, claiming that his love is strong for Tita and the purpose of the marriage is solely to live under the same roof as Tita and be closer to her. Tita is crushed about the marriage regardless of what Pedro says his intentions are, and the heartache takes a toll on Tita’s health and wellness. However, things do not go according to plan and after Rosaura and Pedro get pregnant and move away, Tita is left motionless and mentally unstable. Tita’s mother is consistently criticizing Tita until she finally stands up to her mother and moves in with a Doctor John, who she slowly becomes close with and almost marries. Tita’s mother dies and Tita opens her secret box to find that her mother was also frustrated by love and she feels like she and her mother were alike in that sense.
Pedro comes back into the picture with a new child with Rosaura and plot becomes complicated again. Tita cannot control her feelings for Pedro and in the end chooses him over Dr. John. The ghost of her mother appears and haunts Tita, accusing her of being an evil person and once Tita admits her detest for her mother, she finally gets closure and the ghost ceases haunting her. Meanwhile, Rosaura has made her intentions clear that she plans to not allow her only and thus youngest daughter to marry so that her daughter can take care of her, and the tradition is continued. Tita refuses to allow it and claims that she, herself, will be the last one to have to experience the terrible tradition. The story ends with a tragic Romeo and Juliet type scenario.
Throughout the film there are countless scenes of Tita cooking that seem to end in a bizarre turn of events. Tita bakes the wedding cake for Rosaura and Pedro and as she cooks she is crying. A tear falls into the batter and the guests at the wedding end up very sick from a type of food poisoning. When Tita makes a quail dish with passion she is feeling for Pedro and it is transferred into her sister Gertrudis who becomes overcome with lust and rides off with a passing revolutionary soldier. Food is a vital part of this culture and in Tita’s cooking the magic realism is portrayed.
"Like Water for Chocolate" is a romantic magic realism film that depicts a young woman's search for her identity in her family and herself.
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