Like Waster

In the early years of the twentieth century, on a small ranch in Mexico, the story of three sisters and their repressive mother unfolds. Tita (Lumi Cavazos) is the youngest daughter of Mama Elena (Regina Torne), and, as such, because of a family tradition, she is forbidden to marry or have children until after her mother's death. Tita is agreeable to this situation until she falls in love with the dashing young Pedro (Marco Leonardi). When Pedro learns that he cannot marry Tita, he agrees to an engagement with her older sister, Rosura (Yareli Arizmendi), in the hope that by marrying her, he will have ample opportunities to spend with his real love.

An admittedly unusual title for a film, Like Water for Chocolate fits the mood -- odd, playful, and sweet. It equates the boiling point of water for hot chocolate with the height of passion. With occasional surrealistic fantasy sequences interspersed between the commonplace goings-on of regular lives, the film weaves a subtle spell of enchantment -- until a disappointing conclusion.

Although it deals with some potentially-weighty subjects -- death is a prevalent theme -- Like Water for Chocolate is surprisingly light-hearted. It manages to find the humorous side of every subject. There are times when darker emotions are expressed, but director Alfonso Arau doesn't allow them to dominate. This film is a confection, and he doesn't intend