Review of Like Water For Chocolate

Introduction

On the whole, there seem to be two types of family tradition. The first is the more trivial of the pair; going to your Auntie`s house on boxing day, supporting Everpool or Chelsnal FC, or getting a piece of jewellery for your eighteenth birthday. On the other hand, the more burdensome variety of tradition is the one that tends to scar individuals and inflict psychological damage; marrying into certain families, following in daddy`s footsteps or, worst of all, parents insisting that you have a ridiculous middle name like `Bogroll` or `Betamax`!

Set in Mexico during the fading light of the nineteenth century and the brave new dawn of the twentieth, `Like Water for Chocolate` portrays the lives of a family whose traditions eventually pull them apart. When Tita, the youngest of three sisters, is forbidden from marrying her boyfriend Pedro because family convention dictates that she must look after her mother until she dies, Pedro marries older sister Rosaura so that he can be near to his true love.

What follows is a story containing has all the hallmarks of a classic - family secrets are unearthed, lines crossed, revolutions started, tears cried and heartache delivered in bucket loads. Thankfully, this mixture of Central American romance and spine-tingling storytelling didn`t go unnoticed on its original release. In the early nineties, the film won handfuls of Awards, and even more nominations (including those for golden globes and BAFTAs) - mainly, it has to be said, for director Alfonso Arau`s artistic vision. As distrusting as many are of such accolades, after seeing the film, it would be hard to disagree with the plaudits which have flown its way.

Video

Probably the worst feature of the film is also, strangely, its most endearing. Straight away it hits you that the picture quality is not very good - in fact, it`s terrible in places. Luckily though, this is not as annoying as it would be with your standard Hollywood picture. Ok, the camera is anything but steady in places, and some shots are marred by bad lighting or technical faults but, quite simply, it doesn`t matter that much!

It would be a strong (and heartless) character to say that these details spoil the picture because they don`t. The whole advantage of a digital medium is to hopefully convey what the director was hoping for much better than its analogue counterpart could. `Like water …` is a great example of the heart of the film shining through the slightly dusty exterior.

Audio

Almost predictably, the soundtrack draws heavily on the kind of Latin American music that seems to compliment moving pictures so well. The Audio quality itself is debatable, but by now I think you can probably guess how much that will really matter when watching the film. Give up? Ok, the answer is NOT A LOT.

Features

All that we get in the `extras` section is a snooze-worthy gallery and the original theatrical trailer.

The trailer is, however, a perfect lesson in how NOT to advertise a film. Obviously produced for the American/British market, the clips on display are hacked together in a vague attempt to fit in as much of the film as is possible, whilst being accompanied by the usual `Mr Voiceover`, his slick American accent removing all that is truly wonderful and daring about the movie. If you happen to watch the trailer, you`ll just be happy that you did AFTER you saw the film!

Conclusion

Whereas `Like Water for chocolate` is a film set in only two locations - the family ranch in Rio Grande, Mexico and the USA`s very own Texas - it manages to travel the length and breadth of human emotion. Tita`s unfailing dedication to her dreams and her one true love will ensure even the most hardened `non-criers` shed a thoughtful tear, and that the very same people gasp at how cleverly the yarn slowly unwinds.

In fact, being a story which charts almost a century of the same family (albeit focusing mainly on the first 30 years), it immediately possesses an epic quality. However, considering that such attempts to straddle the decades don`t always work particularly well (the Flop-tastic but amiable Robin Williams vehicle `Bicentennial Man` being a good example), then the chocolate in question tastes just that little bit sweeter. Add this to the burning desire and passion which scorch every corner of the film and you`ve got yourself one satisfying little DVD.

Ultimately though, despite being often praised as a fantastic love story and a sensual tale of Latin passion, `Like Water for chocolate` is about more than just relationships. It is an ode to human struggle through the generations, and a rather poigniant reminder that you can`t always get what you want.