Hearts Aflame in LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

Posted on September 18, 2019

Lumi Cavazos (Tita); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

My Warmth, Amoré, Belissima,

Written by

Jude Thaddeus L. Bautista

“A strange alchemical phenomenon seemed to have occurred. Not only Tita’s blood but her whole being had dissolved into the rose sauce, into the quails and into every aroma of the meal. That’s how she invaded Pedro’s body, voluptuously, ardently fragrant and utterly sensual. They had discovered a new way of communicating. Tita was the sender and Pedro was the recipient.”

Marco Leonardi (Pedro); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

Como Agua Para Chocolate (LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE) was not the first novel or movie to use food as a conveyor of human emotion. But it had done so more eloquently and powerfully than any other. LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE is one of many titles you can watch for free in the upcoming CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

Quail with Rose Petal Sauce; Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

Other titles include: Que Culpa Tiene El Niño (DON’AT BLAME THE KID) a 2016 hit rom com starring Karla Souza, El Angel en el Reloj (THE ANGEL IN THE CLOCK), La Carga (THE LOAD), Enamorandome de Abril (FALLING IN LOVE WITH ABRIL) and many more. For full list with synopses log on to: www.facebook.com/shangrilaplazaofficialfanpage

from right: Amb Gerardo Lozano Arredondo and Shang Plaza Mall Pres. & GM Lala Fojas. Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019. Photo by Jude Bautista

International Success

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE was a landmark international success in the 90s that made Hollywood and the world take notice of Mexico and its filmmakers. Earning a great number of international nods: Tokyo International Film Festival – Best Actress Award for Lumi Cavazos, Best Artistic Contribution Award for cinematographers Emmanuel Lubezki and Steven Bernstein. Chicago International Film Festival – Audience Choice Award, Silver Hugo Best Screenplay- Laura Esquivel. It was also nominated as Best Foreign Language film in the Golden Globes and BAFTA. This is on top of winning a host of trophies from the Ariel awards.

Lumi Cavazos (Tita) and Marco Leonardi (Pedro); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

Mexican cinema and their directors have come to the forefront recently with the success of AlejandoInarrito (BIRDMAN) and Giuillermo Del Torro (THE SHAPE OF WATER). Both Mexican directors won Best Picture awards at the Oscars.Most recentlyAlfonso Cuarron’s ROMA earned Oscar Best Foreign Language film and a host of international awards as well.

Food has the magical power of conveying emotions. Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

The difference is most of these recent titles while having Mexican directors are already Hollywood productions or co-productions. LIKE WATER was not only produced and written there, but the theme, food, history, geography is very distinctly Mexican. So it’s a wonderful introduction and representative of the fest.

Endemol Shine Studios in 2017 announced it had acquired the rights to the Laura Esquivel novel and had plans to adapt as a global television franchise. Initially it will be an English language series but they also plan to adapt it in other languages as well.

Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

Epic ORO PLATA MATA

LIKE WATER lends itself to the TV genre because of the epic scale with the story going through decades. For Pinoy movie fans they may find it similar to our own classic: ORO PLATA MATA by Peque Gallaga. They share almost the same era of the early to mid 20^th century. Unsurprisingly a lot of the language and traditions are also familiar because of our common Spanish roots.

Lumi Cavazos (Tita); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

The screening here in Manila during the 90s was memorable. I could remember the furor over the nude scenes. But after watching the preview the nude scenes seem tame by today’s standards. They were more on the artistic side rather than gratuitous. ORO PLATA MATA had longer nude scenes in spite of being shot in the 1970s.

Ada Carrasco (Nacha); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

Close to Home

The story is close to Filipinos hearts because of the strong bond forged with the cusinera (cook), yaya (nursemaid). A bond that is sometimes closer than the real parents, an oft-repeated occurrence especially with our OFWs.Nacha played by Ada Carrasco was all of this and more. She was the one who literally birthed Tita and her sisters as a midwife and she was the one who passed on her cooking skills to Tita. Chencha is another similar character played by PilarAranda. Here they are given as important a role to play as any other.

from left: Lumi Cavazos (Tita) and Pilar Aranda (Chencha); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019. (10)

#MeToo

The story is also relevant today because of the feminist theme especially in light of the Me Too movement. But the movie is able to deal with an issue that isn’t talked about as much, which is the repression of women by other women. Set in 1895, Mamá Elena (Regina Torné) forbids her youngest daughter Tita (Lumi Cavazos) to marry. Tita is tasked to take care of her mother until her dying days. It’s a tradition in Mexico but strangely enough I’ve also heard of a similar belief here in the Philippines. Mama Elena’s adherence to this archaic, sexist, cruel tradition is the seed of conflict that grows throughout the novel.

Regina Torné (Mamá Elena); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

Best Selling Latin Novel

The novel is the best selling title not just in Mexico but also in the Latin world. First published in 1989, it has sold 3.5 million copies in the U.S., to date. The figure surpasses the sales of a previous Latin American bestsellerONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE (1967) by the Colombian and Nobel Prizewinner Gabriel García-Márquez. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Esquivel

from left: Yareli Arizmendi (Rosaura) & Lumi Cavazos (Tita); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

One of the reasons why it resonates is that author Laura Esquivel in real life had a great aunt named Tita whose mother also forbade her to marry. You can see that her powerful imagination, transcendent words, love of recipes and tradition all mixed into LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE.

Laura Esquivel

For this particular film Laura Esquivel was also credited as the screenwriter. Which in Hollywood is unheard of because of the monumental task of paring down an epic work spanning decades and condensing it to a screenplay of the movie lasting 2 hours. There are usually teams of writers to do this whether its LORD OF THE RINGS, HARRY POTTER or even GAME OF THRONES. The authors or creators fall into a supervisory role as consultant or executive producer. It’s just too much work for someone who has already achieved so much.

In Esquivel’s case she was able to put her stamp into it more than any other author whose novel was turned into a movie. Because of this I feel she has just as much credit as director Alfonso Arau.

2nd from right: Amb Gerardo Lozano Arredondo, from left: Mexican Emb Head of Bilateral Cooperation and Economic Affairs Juan Gabriel Espejo Ceballos, Shang Plaza Mall Pres. & GM Lala Fojas and Shang Plaza Mall Mktg Mgr Ayen Florendo. Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019. Photo by Jude Bautista

Esquivel has since then written La ley del amorTHE LAW OF LOVE (1996),Tan velozcomo el deseoSWIFT AS DESIRE (2002), MALINCHE: A NOVEL (2006) and a non-fiction compilation BETWEEN TWO FIRES (2000) featured essays on life, love, and food. Apart from being an author she is also a politician who serves in the Chamber of Deputies (2012-2018) for the Morena Party.

Mario Iván Martínez (Doctor John Brown); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019. (15)

“Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves; we need oxygen and a candle to help. In this case, the oxygen for example, would come from the breath of the person you love; the candle would be any kind of food, music, caress, word, or sound that engenders the explosion that lights one of the matches. For a moment we are dazzled by an intense emotion. A pleasant warmth grows within us, fading slowly as time goes by, until a new explosion comes along to revive it. Each person has to discover what will set off those explosions in order to live, since the combustion that occurs when one of them is ignited is what nourishes the soul. That fire, in short, is its food. If one doesn’t find out in time what will set off these explosions, the box of matches dampens, and not a single match will ever be lighted.”

—Doctor John Brown (Mario IvánMartínez)

from the film LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

RED CARPET is the newly designed movie theaters of Shang Rila Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong. It takes viewing and sound experience to a new level. Photo by Jude Bautista

RED CARPET Cinema

RED CARPET is the newly designed movie theaters of Shang Rila Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong. It features plush leather seating that you can push back and recline. Almost like the new Premium Economy seating in Philippine Airlines. The walls and shape of the theater also enhance the sound experience.

Just in case you arrive early and need a place to hang out, there’s a seating area outside the theater designed like a mini amphitheater. There’s a large LED screen where you can view trailers of up and coming titles. You don’t have to pay a single cent to enjoy this new area.

Comfortable Leather seats you can recline like Business class seats in Phil. Airlines at RED CARPET Cinema, Shang Rila Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong. Photo by Jude Bautista

Also there’s a newly renovated snack bar that serves not just popcorn but hot dogs and other food items. If you’re on a tight budget you can buy pizza bread, ham tomato and cheese sandwich from Bread Talk (one level below) which has items that range from as low as P30 to P80 and bring them up to this new snack area. Or if you don’t want to go that far, get a Jamaican Beef Pattie right there (P55) eat them in this new fancy space and feel like a million bucks.

RED CARPET makes going to movies truly a relaxing and enjoyable experience. The problem is once you do experience it you may not want to watch movies anywhere else.

RED CARPET also has a new snack bar that serves not just popcorn but hot dogs and other food items. Photo by Jude Bautista

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Lumi Cavazos (Tita); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019. (17)

Wobbly Pan Spanish Bistro – Ground Level Main Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA corner Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City 1550
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Marco Leonardi (Pedro); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019. (18)

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Yareli Arizmendi (Rosaura); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

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Lumi Cavazos (Tita); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

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Wobbly Pan Spanish Bistro – Ground Level Main Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA corner Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City 1550
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Lumi Cavazos (Tita); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

from left: Claudette Maillé (Gertrudis) & Lumi Cavazos (Tita); Watch LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and many other titles for free in the CINE MEXICO Film Festival at the RED CARPET Cinema in Shang Rila Plaza Mall from September 20-24, 2019.

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“She felt so lost and lonely. One last chile in walnut sauce left on the platter after a fancy dinner couldn’t feel any worse than she did. How many times had she eaten one of those treats, standing by herself in the kitchen, rather than let it be thrown away. When nobody eats the last chile on the plate, it’s usually because none of them wants to look like a glutton, so even though they’d really like to devour it, they don’t have the nerve to take it. It was as if they were rejecting that stuffed pepper, which contains every imaginable flavor; sweet as candied citron, juicy as pomegranate, with the bit of pepper and the subtlety of walnuts, that marvelous chile in the walnut sauce. Within it lies the secret of love, but it will never be penetrated, and all because it wouldn’t feel proper.”

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