Director:		Alfonso Arau (Mexico)
Year:		1992
Language:		Spanish (with English subtitles)
Time:		123 minutes

A feast for the senses! Tita and Pedro want to get married, but Tita must take care of her aging mother and is therefore forbidden to marry. Pedro agrees to wed Tita's sister, but only so that he can be close to the woman he loves. When the guests at the wedding eat the cake that Tita was forced to bake, they are overcome with sadness... Tita thus discovers she can do magical things with her cooking.

The film is based on Laura Esquivel’s novel Like Water for Chocolate (originally published in Spanish and now available in 30 languages).

Awards: at the 1992 Ariel Awards (Mexico’s version of the Oscars), the film won multiple awards, including a Golden Ariel for Alfonso Arau (the director) and Silver Ariels for Best Actor (Mario Martínez), Best Actress (Regina Tomé), Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, and Best Set Design.

Rated R (for sexuality).

Links

About the director, Alfonso Arau

Film review by Robert Ebert

Excellent site from Illinois State University containing links about the historical background of the film (Mexican Revolution, etc.)