Como Agua Para Chocolate ~ Like Water for Chocolate (1992) *****

Just saying "Como Agua Para Chocolate" is fun. The words roll off a person's tongue. The English title doesn't do it justice.



The synposis from Netflix:

A feast for the senses, this magical romance from director Alfonso Arau was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and a Golden Globe. The passionate Tita (Lumi Cavazos) is in love with Pedro (Marco Leonardi), but her controlling mother (Regina Torne) forbids her from marrying him. When Pedro instead marries her sister, Tita throws herself into her cooking -- and discovers she can transfer her emotions through the food she prepares.

Length:
105 minutes
Director:
Alfonso Arau
Cast:
Marco Leonardi

Lumi Cavazos
Regina Torné

Mario Ivan Martinez

Como Agua Para Chocolate takes one into a world of old traditions. I am not familiar with Spanish traditions, so it came to me as a surprise when I learned in this movie that it is the youngest daughter who must take care of the aging parents. I do not know if this is really true or just a fabrication of the writer.

It is unfortunate that the youngest daughter is the prettiest and falls in love. In this star-crossed lover movie, one watches as duty and traditions over ride the desires of an individual. Whether I wanted to or not, I was dragged through the emotions of anger, rage, despair, and relief.

Rage - I raged against the evil mother. I could not understand how a mother could treat her three daughters so differently. I was angry that the one who could love her most and treat her best was most despised and tortured. How evil could a mother be? This one was pretty bad in my books because she knew her youngest fell in love with a man who loved her back. Instead of giving her blessings, she forcefully destroys the two and keeps them apart.

The mother forces the man to marry the middle sister. The middle sister is dull, unattractive and pretty much a useless person. She is also petty and jealous of her sisters so she goes forth and marries the man. What I never understood is how the man could have settled? I honestly don't believe he was worthy if he could submit so easily. To be married to the sister of the woman he desperately loves? To have to bed that ugly woman and have children with her? To have to daily see the woman he loves and never be with her? What kind of a wuss was he?

Throughout the movie, the youngest daughter is constantly humiliated and degraded. She is literately treated like a slave. I am not sure exactly how she survives. Entwined with the movie is the theme of food. The only outlet the young woman has is cooking. She is a kind heart woman who cooks food with much emotion.

The relief I felt was when the oldest daughter escapes the crazy household abet a very naughty way. She rides into the sunset with her lover, naked on horseback. I can't help but feel a bit of relief that someone has escaped. At the end, the middle daughter has died. The evil mother has died. Finally the two lovers after a life time may finally be together.

The ending was rather anti climatic and when it was over, I was stunned. The movie was building and building and at the end, it was as if we stopped only by driving at 100 mph to full stop at a brick wall. It hurt. I hated the ending.

Il Postino (1995) *

Il Postino was recommend to me by a co-worker, Juan Mesa. He said it was a wonderful movie and that I had to purchase it. Since I trusted his judgement, I bought the tape.

Here is the synopsis according to Netflix:

Mario Ruoppolo (Massimo Troisi), the mailman on an Italian island, pines from afar for a beautiful waitress. When exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret) comes to live on the island, Ruoppolo delivers Neruda's mail and picks up lessons on love, life and poetry. With director Michael Radford's commentary, a featurette about the real-life Neruda and more, Il Postino is a sun-splashed romantic comedy.


Length:
108 minutes

Cast:
Massimo Troisi
Philippe Noiret
Maria Grazia Cucinotta

Personally, I thought this movie was terrible. It was definitely a waste of my money. The entire time I watched the movie, I kept thinking, it's going to get better. I'm going to get to the meat of the movie. When the movie ended, all I did was blink. Then I thought, darn it! I lost 108 minutes of my life and will never get that back!

I wouldn't call this a comedy. To me, it was like watching grass grow or paint dry. The main characters were rather dull. The gritty filming only made the film feel poorly made.

Belle époque ****

Belle époque is one of my favourite comedies. A brief synopsis from Netflix:


Handsome young soldier Fernando (Jorge Sanz) deserts from the army during the Spanish Civil War and befriends a free-thinking artist. But when he meets his new friend's four daughters, he finds himself in a romantic dilemma -- which woman should he romance? In a neat twist, the women do the deciding, as each in her turn tries to seduce him. Penelope Cruz co-stars in this passionately comic romp.


Length:
109 minutes

Director:
Fernando Trueba
Cast:
Penélope Cruz
Jorge Sanz
Miriam Diaz Aroca
Gabino Diego
Fernando Fernán Gómez
Michel Galabru
Ariadna Gil
Agustin Gonzalez
Chus Lampreave
Mary Carmen Ramirez
Maribel Verdú

This enchantingly hilarious movie in my opinion is about a boy who wants to do the honourable thing. The young man has left the army because he no longer wants to fight. He befriends an old man who is living along at the time. The old man gives the Fernando a bed for the night. They become drinking buddies for a bit. Since the old man's four daughters are due to arrive soon, he rushes Fernando to the train station before all hell breaks loose.

Fernando is about to get on the train when the four sisters arrive. He is spellbound. The cinematography at the point of arrival was very good. Even I was entranced. Of course, now that Fernando has seen the four stunning women, he can't leave. He sniffs after them like a tom cat. I must admit it is rather funny to watch as Fernando is seduced by each of the sisters.

Each one of the daughters possesses a different personality. It is hard to even figure out how these four women could be sisters. The sisters lead him on a merry chase. The 3 older ones are all experienced and enjoy a good tumble. After each tumble, Fernando feels he must do the right thing. The right thing is to offer to marry them. The old man laughs as Fernando tries to speak to him about marrying his daughters. After each unsuccessful marriage proposal, Fernando is determined to leave. He never quite makes it out . . .

******************** SPOILERS **********************
The most amusing proposal is when he asks for the 2nd eldest sister's hand in marriage. The sister is played by Adriana Gil. Adriana plays the butch tom boy to the hilt. Even in the act of sex, she is dressed as a man and Fernando is a dressed as a girl. She takes him by riding on top. Poor Fernando is overwhelmed. When Fernando goes to the old man and states he now wants to marry Adriana, the old man nearly keels over laughing. Fernando finds out it is because the old man considers Adriana as a son he never had.

At the end, Fernando finally marries the youngest daughter, played by Penélope Cruz before she was famous in the States.

The mischief that the 3 older sisters play on Fernando is always fun to watch. I recommend this light hearted flick to anyone wanting a fun Saturday afternoon movie.

Amantes ***1/2

Amantes is a Spanish movie that I thought I would love. A quick synopsis from IMDB:

Set in '50s Spain, a young man (Sanz) leaves the army and looks for a job so he and his fiancée (Verdu) can get married. He rents a room from a widow (Abril), and shortly begins a torrid affair with her. The fiancée figures it out and decides to win him back by offering herself to him and taking him to meet her family. Ultimately he has to make a decision. Based on a true story.

This 1991 movie moved me since I had just recently broken up with my boyfriend at the time. After watching this movie, I must have cried for several days on and off in the shower. (Never let anyone see you cry. First rule of being Chinese. The best way to hide it is to do it in the shower. The water washes tears right down the drain.)

The reason why this movie cut me so deeply was that it appeared that the two lovers were set on having a beautiful life. The love they shared burst into the air whenever they were near. Then the affair begins. The change in Sanz is very subtle. He starts to be secretive. He then starts to treat his very innocence and young fiancee with slight condescension. It is as if he doesn't have the time of day for her. This especially hurts Verdu. She is also confused. She can't understand how their love could go so wrong.


************************Spoiler**********************************

When the truth comes out, Verdu confronts her fiancee. She demands that he meets her. She still believes that she can win him back. She brings her whole life savings to him. They meet on a bench. She looks to him with her forlorn loving eyes. He appears to be regretful, then he takes her money and stabs her with a knife. The symbolism here is unmistakable. He breaks her heart figuratively and literally stabs her to death.

A young woman lost in love gives up everything to be vulnerable with the man she wants to spend the rest of her life. At her most vulnerable moment, he kills her. At that moment, I hated all men. I wanted all the unfaithful, cheating, selfish bastards to be tortured to death. I was furious with the writer. I was angry with the director. Then I read the notes, it was based upon a true story. Who is to know exactly how true the movie is to real life events? I know that the movie had quite the impact upon me for many years afterwards.