Like Water for Chocolate does not have a typical story line. It tackles a mother-daughter relationship and at the same time uses food as a tool for communication.
It is set in rural Mexico where family and traditional values are given importance. Parents are the masters of the house and the children are mere followers. An example of this is when Mama Elena prohibits her youngest daughter Tita to entertain any suitor, even if she’s at the right age. Her belief that the youngest daughter should be the one to take care of family affairs adds conflict to the liberal ways of her daughter – that one should decide for oneself and have a life of one’s own.
I do not doubt that parents want the best for their children, but if they force or tell them to do something they don’t like and the parents just benefit in the end, then I disagree. Every individual has the freedom to choose whatever he likes as long as he is responsible and smart enough to accept the consequences of his actions. Mama Elena’s conservative, traditional ways are that of a traditional mother who is very prim and proper. She is perfect in the eyes of her children and does not have secrets to hide. That’s why I was surprised that she was also a product of a forced marriage. And she was so frustrated with her life she wants her children to suffer as well.
Even if she’s putting up a façade of being strong and mature, I see her as weak and unstable because she wants to control the affairs of her children.
On the other hand, I cannot blame her for being angry and frustrated with her life because she has the ability to choose a life of her own. She was accustomed to people telling her what to do. It’s a pity that when she died she was not able to forgive everybody around her. The movie showed that her soul was not laid to rest.
The representation of food in the movie as an aphrodisiac and tool for communication made me see food in a different angle. It made me realize that food is not just a variety of ingredients put together to satisfy one’s hunger but an experience one cannot completely explain. The ability of the food to ignite one’s innermost desires and passion made it even more appealing and intriguing. The way it warms and nourishes us at the same time shows that it can ease the emptiness of body and soul. It is like the journey of life where you need a lot of patience, understanding, sacrifice and love before you can be completely whole. The passion was seen in Tita’s eyes showed that she is in control of her life and no matter what happens she will fight for what she believes in and be prepared for whatever trials or heartaches it brings. It also showed me that if you are passionate about what you do and believe in yourself, you can achieve anything you put your mind into and the result is far greater than what you expected.
There’s also a scene that made quite an impression on me. It’s where John the doctor explained that we have certain matches inside us and that we cannot easily light this without the help of others. Like matches we need inspirations to help us light our own matches and be completely in control and fulfilled in life.
One can easily conclude that this movie is a tragedy because it ended on a sad note but on the other hand it is really the opposite. Why? Because I guess Tita and Pedro were able to reach and ignite their inner fires. It made them burst with complete happiness and led them to a higher level of existence together.
I guess that’s what this movie would like to convey: we should not be afraid to experience life’s high and lows. Loving, no matter how hard – is a challenge that can make a person strong and fulfilled.
The movie is entitled Like Water for Chocolate because I believe water is an element that can neutralize the chocolate which signifies fire. It balances and complements one another to achieve stability.
As for my complaint with the English subtitles, I felt it was not important anymore. As long as you know how to follow and read between the lines, you’ll get through it. I know. . . I did.