Chocolat

The 2000 Miramax romance film, Chocolat was a film that proved to be a modest success amongst audiences, and since Miramax was still connected with Harvey Weinstein at the time, it secured several big Oscar nominations like Picture, Screenplay and Actress (despite not winning any on the night). Despite the similar title, the film is not a remake of the 1988 French film directed by Claire Denis (which is more about France’s occupation of Africa and the way in which black people were fetishized within the community), but rather an adaptation of the 1999 novel written by Joanne Harris, which showcases a simple story of a woman and her daughter enriching the lives of a repressed French community through her small chocolaterie. With mixed reviews from critics with most leaning towards positive, and earning a decent chunk at the box office given its smaller budget, this film was a surprise delight people were willing to keep savoring. In a quiet Catholic French village that is preparing for Lent (a period of time before Easter where those within the Christian belief take part in a fasting of something they greatly enjoy), a young woman named Vianne (played by Juliette Binoche) and her six year old daughter, Anouk (played by Victorie Thivisol) make a home for themselves in a rundown building owned by an elderly landlady named Armande (played by Judi Dench). After transforming the place into a chocolate shop, Vianne awaits the townsfolk to arrive, but find they are quite hesitant due to their extremely strict lifestyle perpetuated by the mayor of the town, Comte de Raynaud (played by Alfred Molina) who sees her nomadic and wed-less lifestyle as problematic and pressures the town to disown her. However, after offering a comforting and delightful treat to those who clearly need help, this ‘’sinful’’ chocolate may be exactly what this town requires to break free. Chocolat has a pretty formulaic narrative and isn’t a film that exceeds expectations, but it is one that matches them, providing an entertaining picture with a charming atmosphere, likeable characters, and enough interesting themes to make it more than just a basic sweet treat.

The book was actually part of a series, with three more sequel books being written all the way up to 2019. While the film presented doesn’t seem like the kind of story that would stretch out to continuing adventures, you’d find that the original source material has a much stronger mystical and fantastical vibe, even lacing an element of real magic underneath its framework (Vianne is a literal witch). While that weird and unnatural vibe does still come across in the film, it feels like a smarter decision to downplay that otherworldly quality, as it might’ve come across a little too kid-friendly for something that was pushing to be an awards pleaser. As most of these narratives go, you’ve seen this kind of set up several times in other stories; involving a bright optimistic person arriving in a brow-beaten and colorless environment and doing their best to enlighten the lives of those around them with their charm and compassion in spite of the setbacks from those who don’t approve of their actions. While that is a very used trope, its also one that is more often than not very effective when done well and can provide a simple yet charming experience, and this film pulls that off quite well. It has the familiar beats and cliches, but also contains a few new twists to make it not entirely predictable, the characters are fairly archetypal, but are memorably performed and are likeable enough that you don’t want anything bad to happen to them, and the tone is still slightly offbeat and quirky, yet not so much that it doesn’t still feel genuine. A lot of this would come from the direction by Lasse Hallström, who has shown in previous examples of his work like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and The Cidar House Rules that he can take a seemingly down-to-earth and small-scale story and inject an element of the fantastical without it becoming too incomprehensible. This film is slow-moving, but is paced quite well, is lead by actors who can hold your attention whether in leading or supporting roles, and the quaint yet character-filled atmosphere makes the film kind and pleasing to be in. The script also has a few nice touches that seemingly expand upon some elements even better than the source material, adding in the quality of religious extremism and the long-standing consequences that come with an overly restrictive lifestyle. Whether it’s through harsh Catholic teachings that will punish anyone for even the tiniest of slip-ups, or the damage that comes from constantly shifting from one location to the other in the spirit of ‘’freedom’’, the movie highlights the pressure one can feel when forced  to live up to cultural, spiritual, and even societal expectations and how no matter where it comes from, a sunny demeanor and the notion of ‘’good intentions’’ doesn’t make it any sweeter. It maybe could’ve delved into these ideas a bit further and the overall screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs is solid but doesn’t contain the strongest dialogue or the most fruitful characters arcs, but as it is, its appreciated that for a movie that honestly didn’t need that extra level of depth, it was featured at all.

The characters in this story don’t feel entirely complete in terms of their narratives and it sometimes feel like there are elements being left out that really should’ve been showcased so that we could explore them more. This is felt the most with the main characters, as while most of the supporting cast don’t have a lot to work with outside of their singular conflicts, they are fittingly left mostly in the background, so they don’t need to have much more, whereas the main characters don’t have that luxury. What saves most of these roles is that the acting is quite strong and they do a good job at providing a lot of charming personality and believability. Juliette Binoche as the character of Vianne feels like your typical ‘’Mary Poppins’’ figure, acting like an almost omnipresent godmother who has the power to improve the lives of those around her through her delicacies and her kind heart (she’s even commanded by the whims of the wind just like Mary Poppins, so that’s a fun connection). In terms of backstory, she is given one that is certainly bizarre for this kind of film, but it still feels like there’s not a lot of perspective on her struggles or even that of her daughter, who is barely given anything to work with in the film. Because it focuses so much on the turmoils of the supporting cast, it doesn’t really allow time to explore the problems these two are going through, and that wouldn’t really be an issue if the last act didn’t hinge on her own issues. It’s a small grip and Binoche is extremely charming as the character, but it could’ve been a little ironed out. The same can also be said for Alfred Molina as the antagonist, as despite being played pretty entertainingly and featuring just enough shades to not feel like a complete one-note role (which could be said for most of the cast in this film), he needed a bit more fleshing out to really feel complete. This can also be said for Carrie-Anne Moss, who despite acting fine and having a built-in connection to the main characters, doesn’t have nearly enough time to provide any sense of character or story whatsoever. With that said, while they are a little underwritten, most of the roles are handled well within their small running time and some even make the most of it. Its funny seeing someone like Judi Dench in a French environment as she doesn’t in any way sound like she fits in, but her acting ability is so strong that she can make it work regardless, Lena Olin plays the character of Josephine, a young woman who escapes her abusive husband to come work in the chocolate shop, and for such a minor role, her acting is extremely effective and makes her easily one of the best parts of the film, and Johnny Depp as a love interest who arrives halfway into the movie (which won’t stop advertisers from plastering him all over the posters and the trailers) is a relatively simple character, but does have solid chemistry with Binoche as a trade-off.

Since the film has a hint of a whimsical side, it results in a few scenarios that have a slightly comedic twinge to them, whether it is intentional or not. The whole movie has an atmosphere that is a bit quirky and whether it’s through the circumstances of some of the townspeople or even a reaction shot from one of the actors, there is a quality to this film that feels like its trying to be a little more whacky than it arguably needs to be. Thankfully, when the movie does try to include something grittier and more unpleasant, it’s not so airy that these moments lose any sense of true uncomfortable-ness, and while the film is never truly funny, it doesn’t feel like its trying to make you laugh, but rather make you happy. There is a likeable energy to this film that comes from the acting, but also from the way the film looks and the overall production design by David Gropman that really captures the energy and attitude of this town. The presentation going from cold, hollow, and intentionally colorless, to warm lighting, festive energy and orange autumn tones later on is a blatant display of a change in attitude but for this kind of tone and narrative, it does work and from the look of the buildings, the costumes handled by Renee Ehrlich Kalfus whether poor or fancy, and the general cultural flourishes that are sprinkled through the dialogue and the overall apparel, it feels fittingly timely and appropriate given the kind of rigid community it is showcasing. The cinematography by Roger Pratt can at times be a little awkward and has a few shots that play up the goofy undertones a little too much, but it doesn’t become an issue as it keeps going. The music by Rachel Portman is a very nice sounding piece which features a lot of the expected beats and stirs one would hear in traditional French music, but the frantic energy and upbeat melody complements the film’s funny and even magical vibe quite nicely.

Chocolat is a film that, like the delicacies it focuses on, might look a little too sweet and overly decadent for what would otherwise be a straightforward treat, but upon consuming it, you’ll notice the sap and the fanciness, but also be relived you gave it a try. Chocolat isn’t a film that offers any surprises or brings something new out of you, but it is a movie that will allow you to enrich yourself in its quaint pleasantness and impress you by what it has to say and how it managed to say it. It’s nothing overly grand, but it isn’t overly basic either, it’s a perfectly competent film that works in the areas it needs to and its failures are while noticeable, not enough to damage anything. It could’ve done more stuff with its characters, and delivered something a little more unexpected and less traditional, but the enjoyable characters, solid acting, effective tone and direction and enticing aesthetics make this movie a treat that is worthy of appreciating.