What a delicious little film! Aishwarya Rai is perfect (and beautiful) in the role of Tilo (which means “sesame”), the expatriate proprietor of Spice Bazaar in (presumably) Marin County. Dylan McDermott is a bit of prop in the story, which focuses entirely on Tilo’s struggles to remain true to the vows she took as a Mistress of Spices, kind of a high priestess of herbs. The pacing of the film is deliberate, hypnotic (like Tilo’s eyes) and enchanting.

But caution: To watch this as a portrayal of reality would be a huge mistake; it is pure allegory from start to finish, so don’t believe your eyes and ears when you see it. Experience it with your heart. Afterwards, I couldn’t help but think of spices in an entirely new way. Wow. I think they really do talk to us, but how often do we listen? Now I will never be able to have curry without flashing back to Tilo’s Spice Bazaar. I highly recommend seeing this film.