This semester, I chose to take Reel Food and World Cinema because I was very interested in the course description and I'm very interested in expanding my horizons and learning more about different cultures. I feel like for a long time I've lived in a sort of bubble and have only really paid attention to what's happening in front of me. I never really looked beyond that bubble, and it's causes me to become a bit ignorant and uneducated, so I'm ready to explore and see what I've been missing. Earlier last month at the Golden Globes awards, during his acceptance speech, Parasite director Bong Joon Ho said, "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." I'm trying to live by this quote and I'm excited about the amazing films this class will hopefully introduce me too. Also, I'm a cinema major, so seeing that this class was partially about world cinema, it immediately made me ...
Last Tuesday in class, Dr. McNichols gave a lecture on the history of Mexico and its culture, especially focusing on the food. Her main focus, or at least what I thought was most important, was the Aztec's history, various Spanish foods, and the Mexican Revolution, which I now know was heavily inspired by the French Revolution. For some reason, I know a lot about the French Revolution, but I never knew about its impact on the world, or that it was connected in some way to the Mexican Revolution. Dr. McNichols's lecture was connected to Alfonso Arau's Like Water for Chocolate, or Como Agua Para Chocolate, due to the period in which the film was set. We learned about the Mexican Revolution which lasted until 1917, which coincides with the start of the film in 1910. The de la Garza family lives on a ranch close to the border, and it's clear that this is a place affected by the revolution. The change in the social order that we learned about from Dr. McNichols during a time of war is something that also could be connected to the film. The social order may have changed the lives around her, but for Tita, her role stays the same. Rosaura goes from daughter to wife to mother, and Gertrudis goes from daughter to taboo to a general in the military. Everyone around Tita changes, and even rises above their social status, but Tita is forced to stay the same. Until her mother is killed, she's expected to never marry and take care of her mother for the rest of her days. After her mothers' death, Tita is allowed the freedom to marry, but she continues to take care of Esperanza, to make sure she doesn't suffer the same fate Tita did growing up. Even then, she does not marry.
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