‘Like Water For Chocolate ’Cooks Up Romance: At The Movies With Kasey
Years ago, in a class about food in literature, I first saw the 1992 film Like Water for Chocolate and was charmed by the magical realism in the story of a young woman who can cook her feelings into the food she prepares. Max has revived the story with a six-part miniseries produced by Salma Hayek.
Like Water for Chocolate starts in the time before the Mexican Revolution, as lovers Tita (Azul Guaita) and Pedro (Andres Baida) are kept apart by Tita’s mother, spiteful Mama Elena (Irene Azuela). Tita was taught culinary skills by the family’s cook, Nacha (Ángeles Cruz), but she also has the mysterious ability to infuse her food with the power of her emotions. When Tita’s life turns from love and plans for the future to caring for a woman who hates her, Tita uses her skills to make sense of it all.
I was pretty put off by the series using the word “impregnated” in reference to food three times in the first ten minutes. Yuck. Once I got over that, I was drawn into the saga of Tita and her family through the rich use of color and texture. The contrast between the neutral hues in drab clothing and stuffy sets and bursts of color from nature, food, and Tita’s wardrobe creates the mood that Tita’s home is an oppressive space where she does not belong.
As Tita, Azul Guaita brings sweetness and light to the character, creating a heroine who I want to find happiness. She does not have as much chemistry with Andres Baida as the plot demands, but only two of six episodes have aired, so time will tell. As Nacha, Ángeles Cruz provides warmth in contrast to the icy Irene Azuela as Mama Elena. Most of the series lies ahead, but the high production value, excellent acting, and epic love story have me excited to see more.
Like Water for Chocolate, based on the novel Como agua para chocolate by Laura Esquivel, was directed by Julián de Tavira and Ana Lorena Pérez Ríos.
Over on Netflix, a new Swedish film, Let Go (Släpp taget), focuses on Stella (Josephine Bornebusch), a stressed-out mom to Anna (Sigrid Johnson) and Manne (Olle Tikkakoski) who is already struggling before her husband, Gustav (Pål Sverre Hagen), asks for a divorce. She demands that before they go through with the separation, they take a family trip to support Anna at her pole dancing competition. Yes, pole dancing. Let Go is reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine, but instead of offbeat humor, it offers a sentimental bummer of a story. Maybe I should have watched Hot Frosty instead.
Truthfully, Let Go has some touching themes about the hard work of making a family and how that effort can drive a wedge between spouses. Josephine Bornebusch and Pål Sverre Hagen make formidable scene partners, carrying the tension between them throughout the story. The writing makes bittersweet points about the importance of community, and I think many people will enjoy this tearjerker. The little details of the relationships between Stell and each of her children provide a glimpse into the depth of her love while also adding some whimsical silliness to the heavy plot. Let Go is well made and has plenty of funny moments of character development and a case of Chekhov’s gluten intolerance. It is just not a genre that I enjoy.
Let Go was written and directed by Josephine Bornebusch. It runs 110 minutes.
On Hulu and Disney, the documentary Endurance chronicles the ill-fated expedition of British explorer Ernest Shackleton, whose crew set off to trek across Antarctica. When their ship, Endurance, sank in 1915, Shackleton made a desperate journey to South Georgia trying to save the 27 crew members before they succumbed to cold and starvation. Over a century later, in 2022, a crew led by Dr. John Shears set out to find the shipwreck of Endurance. The documentary weaves these two stories together, using voices from Shackelton and his crew produced using AI and archival recordings.
The production does an artful job of bringing the past to life so that the story of Shackleton’s expedition feels as immediate as those trying to find the ill-fated ship. The pacing also keeps the story moving, switching between past and present. The documentary tells an incredible story of human endurance with reverence for explorers’ past and compelling use of science in the present. By moving between two timelines, the documentary has to convey a huge amount of information, and it does so in an easy-to-follow manner. Still, I suspect much of Shackleton’s story got trimmed, so the documentary made me more likely to read Alfred Lansing’s book Endurance. History buffs and adventure junkies are sure to enjoy this film.
Endurance was directed by Jimmy Chin, Natalie Hewit, and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. It runs for 103 minutes.
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