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Like Water for Chocolate
- Review Date: August 29, 2005
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 1992
Common Sense Media says
Passionate tale of lost and regained love.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a mature and sensual movie. While not sexually explicit, sexual desire and threats of infidelity drive the entire film. It also includes a rather abusive (both physically and emotionally) mother/daughter relationship.
What's the story?
The youngest of three daughters in a Mexican family, Tita, is doomed by tradition to remain a virgin and forever care for her mother. LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE depicts the emotional struggle suffered by Tita following her loss of and longing for Pedro, and her attempts to escape the controlling fists of her mother. The film works through a series of highly charged relationships utilizing uncommon visual elegance and a sense of mysticism that visually depicts the Mexican literary tradition of magical realism.
Is it any good?
This movie was filmbed mostly in Spanish with English subtitles. Based on the first novel by screenwriter Laura Esquivel, it presents a visually stunning tale of repressed passion, lost love, and the magical powers of food.
Like Water for Chocolate swept the Ariel Awards (Mexico's equivalent to the American Oscars), garnering awards for best picture, acting, direction, screenplay, cinematography, set design, and production design. From story to execution, it exudes quality.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about issues such as family duty, generational conflict, gender equality, and cultural traditions. Parents may also want to discuss how this film's use of magical realism differs from more traditional American writing and filmmaking.
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AGE
Amazing:)
I love it!!! I read the book for spanish, and it's amazing!!! The great thing about the movie is that the plot is very faithful to the book's plot, because the author actually wrote the script. It is also amazing to see how Esquivel links food to life; after I finished the book, I was pursued by a NEEEED to cook:)
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| Studio: | Miramax |
| Director: | Alfonso Arau |
| Cast: | Caroline Aaron, Lumi Cavazos, Marco Leonardi, Regina Tome |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 123 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 1, 1992 |
| DVD release date: | August 10, 1999 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | sexuality |
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