Blog #3 – Food, Love, Romance, and Family in Mostly Martha 

In the German film, Mostly Martha, of course one of the major themes is food. But this film also consists of themes of love, romance, and family.  
                                                
Love and romance are represented all throughout this film. We see it represented mainly between Martha and Lina, and then Martha and Mario. At the beginning of the movie, Martha focuses only on herself and her work. She is so invested in her career. The only real relationship and love she had was with food. When it comes to romance, at first, she is not comfortable with the idea of a romantic relationship. For example, with her neighbor Sam, she turns their dinner of companionship to an offer of food. This is the type of relationship that she was comfortable with. 
 When it comes to Martha and Lina, they can both be described as emotionally and physically starved for love and companionship. Lina needs a family and someone to care for her, and Martha needs someone besides herself to focus on and to love. It took some time to get there, but they end up playing these roles for each other. We see this really happen in the scene that the two share in the car. The love between the two is clear and valid during this point of the film.  
Through Lina, and the time that spent in Lido’s and with Mario, Martha and Mario developed a working relationship with one another. This relationship eventually led to more. Martha and Mario formed a romantic relationship. Martha opened her heart up to accepting love in a way that she never expected. It is shown that the two even end up getting married to each other.  
Mario, Lea, Lina, and Martha at Lido's
The role of food within the film, highly  relates to the sub themes of family, love, and romance in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Martha’s entire life revolved around food and her craft. She was basically trapped by the kitchen, and the procedures and rituals of it. This affected her when it came to family, love, and romance. Like I discussed before, the relationships and conversations that she was comfortable enough to have involved food in some type of way. Martha liked to keep things in her life simple and uncomplicated. This can be seen through the simple dishes that she made and created. When it came to her dishes, she chose appropriate side foods for them. This represented the idea that she needed to be selective in her choice of companions. Martha has a process for how to prepare lobster. This preparation represents a sense of entrapment, a need for love and romance, and a sense of loss. She also has a skill of being able to recognize the ingredients that are missing from a dish that would make the dish more enjoyable. This skill is representing her necessity for companionship. 
 Martha thinks of most things as a recipe. When Lina first moved in with her, Martha wished she had a recipe to help her learn how to care and love for Lina. Lina over time discovers her own recipe. She understands the recipe for happiness. With this recipe she gained family and companionship. The idea of food brought together Martha, Lina, and Mario. Specifically, the Italian food that Mario cooked. Mario’s food brought out a new side of Martha. His food expanded her appetite and altered her taste. This then, opened her up to lust and pleasure, which are feelings that can lead to romance.  
At the end of the film, Martha does a complete 180 degrees. She becomes sensitive to absences and accepts the necessity of companionship and love. Both in a maternal and romantic sense. She grows in her acceptance of disorder, which leads to her appreciation of companionship, love, and a greater value for family. 

Sources: 

Keller, James R, Food, Film and Culture. A Genre Study. McFarland, 2006. p. 68-78

https://www.amazon.com/Mostly-Martha-English-Subtitled-Martina/dp/B000JGD27I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqTzBhLdJO4

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mostly-martha-review/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eat Drink Man Woman vs. Tortilla Soup

Image
                 Eat Drink Man Woman vs.  Tortilla Soup Tortilla Soup is a remake of the film, Eat Drink Man Woman. Since one is a remake of the other, there are several similarities between the two , and also  some small differences that do not make them exactly the same . Both films center around a father and his three daughters . The main idea is that the  father trying to keep his family together through the incorporation of family Sunday dinners , while the daughters are trying to live their own individual lives. They show this through their individual cultural backgrounds.   Eat Drink Man Woman represents a Chinese cultural  identity, while Tortilla Soup represents a Mexican cultural identity. There is a strong emphasis on these cultural backgrounds, but also a strong emphasis on how the daughters are beginning to alienate their culture a little bit , due to an American influence.   Food and family, family and food. The two central ideas of the fil
Read more

The End.

Image
                                             The End. Reel  Food and World Cinema . A course  where I learned about food films. A course   that showed me  how much of a role ,  food  can  truly play  within a film.  After looking at and rereading all the  blogs that I wrote this semester, it was another reminder of all that  we have done, and all that  I  have  learned.   We have watched  several  different movies  throughout the semester, from American to foreign films. M ost of the  films,  I probably would have never heard of nor watched, if it was not for me being in this class.   What we  watched  throughout the course   broadened  my horizons fo r  what movies I would usually go for. I am   a  movie gi rl, but the same genre and type of movies are always the ones  that usually  draw me in. But now  I feel like I am much more open for going outside of my comfort zone when it comes to movies.                                   When it comes to films  and the role that
Read more

The Culture and Chocolate Behind "Chocolat"

Image
 The Culture and Chocolate Behind Chocolat  published by Amara Foster The film Chocolat , a film that I really enjoyed. did not leave the greatest taste in my mouth when it came to me learning about French culture. At least the French culture that is represented in this small village. This film taught me that the French are super religious Catholics. It’s almost like they live and breathe their religion. Anyone that strays away from the “normal path” of this Catholic society is looked at as a non-believer. They are looked at as constant sinners. The villagers are basically told to shun these people and look at them in the worst way possible. I am not a fan of this kind treatment. I understand that this is a Catholic society, and there are specific beliefs, “rules” and expectations to the religion. But I don’t like how differences are not accepted. Those who were different, were not allowed to show what made them different. How is a society supposed to grow and pr
Read more