Like Water For Chocolate (1992, Alfonso Arau)

No wonder lead actress Lumi Cavazos looked familiar – she played Inez in Bottle Rocket. And I guess her wannabe-boyfriend was in Cinema Paradiso. But the best IMDB revelation of all: this movie was directed by El Guapo himself!

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Tita has always loved Pedro, but Tita’s the youngest daughter of her overbearing and unloving mother, and therefore disallowed to marry as long as mom is alive. So Pedro marries the young sister (Nacha?) and the other sister (Gertrudis, actually an illicit half-sister) runs off naked with a rebel soldier when he shower catches fire, and eventually Tita finds a nice doctor and her mom dies.

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Meanwhile, Tita cooks for everyone, and whatever she’s cooking has magical effect on whoever eats it, transferring Tita’s moods and emotions on to them. Seems whimsical, but more than one person dies as a direct result.

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Finally the one sister dies and Tita can be with Pedro. Their one night together kills them both with heart attacks and fires, and I think that might be a happy ending. Anyway it’s a nice movie, if a bit too dark (in lighting not mood). All about tradition and true love and mexico.

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Katy liked it.