Even though I would consider myself to be culturally inept, this is one of my favorite movies of all time. I was introduced to me by my sister, who coincidentally, likes all things foreign. Anything to do with the good ole US of A is benign to her. We first watched this movie in Spanish, with English subtitles, but I found the reading to be tiresome and it disallowed concentration on the more subtle points of the movie.

I found a copy that was dubbed in English on E-bay. Surprisingly, I didn't have much competition in the bidding department, and got my copy for around $5. I'm amazed; it must be one of Hollywood's best kept secrets. One "con" about the dubbed version was that the actor's voices, especially Chincha's, sounded silly. This movie is 105 minutes long and was based on the novel by Laura Esquivel, which I am told is infinitely better than the movie.

This is the ultimate story of forbidden love. The two main characters of the movie are Tita and Pedro, who fall in love at first site as children. As they grow, so does their love for one another and one day Pedro finds the nerve to confess his devotion to Tita. After she agrees that she, too, loves him he visits her mother, Dona Elena, to ask for Tita's hand in marriage. Pedro is told that because of an obscure family tradition, the youngest daughter, Tita, may never marry because she must care for the mother until the day the mother dies. Instead, she offers her older daughter, Rosaura, to Pedro and he accepts thinking that if he cannot have Tita, at least he can be close to her this way. What a stupid man! However, if everyone made good decisions, we'd have no movies.

The cast in this movie is excellent. You don't feel that you are watching a movie, rather that you are taking a peek into this family's life. Each character has a pivotal role in the movie and plays their part absolutely convincingly.

Tita is the family slave, but her passion is cooking. She has been dubbed as the Mexican Cinderella, and indeed she fits the description. She is beautiful and passionate, but in a pure and virginal way. She somehow infuses all of these elements into her cooking, and brings about dramatic results such as gastric ailments, comfort, sadness and even passion!

Despite having a child with Rosaura, Pedro's love for Tita never wanes. In fact, the very circumstance of his living in the same house as Tita, but forbidden to be with her, only serves to fuel his passion and love.

Dona Elena is the villain in this movie. We find out that she, too, loved a man whom she was forbidden to be with and never got over it. It is even hinted that one of her children may be his. Even still, Dona Elena never once understands Tita's feelings and will not let her have one moments peace. She barks orders at her and then criticizes the job that Tita does. She is truly evil, but gets her comeuppance!

This movie is filled with cultural stories, traditions and beliefs that only add to the story's beauty. It is also full of symbolism that will take multiple viewings to fully appreciate. The ending is bittersweet but you would expect nothing less. I don't want to give it away since it is such a fantastic movie.

This movie is great to watch late Friday night after the kids are asleep. You'll need a hankie along with your snacks, so you don't have to get up and miss a thing!





Recommended: Yes