Once upon an Oscar season, 2001 to be exact, there was a charming little film named Chocolat. This film was blessed with a stellar cast, some of the best looking food in any movie, and a story that is a great fable without having to beat the audience over the head with its message. When Chocolat picked up five Oscar nominations (including one for Best Picture), it should not have been a huge surprise, but like many “small films” that came before it, many critics and entertainment writers turned on Chocolat. Suddenly, this charming fable became overrated and unworthy of its nominations. Now that the 2001 Oscar season is long past, audiences can rediscover Chocolat on Blu-ray and remember why this film should be well-loved.
Chocolat takes place in a small French town that prides itself on its tranquility and morality. Many of the people of the town do not live tranquil or moral lives, but any problems that exist are beneath the surface, carefully kept unspoken. Vianne (Juliette Binoche) and her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) arrive in town just at the start of the Lent season, and Vianne opens a chocolate shop. The town's leader, the Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), sees the chocolate shop as a den of decadence and believes it is completely inappropriate during a time that is traditionally used for fasting, prayer, and denying oneself pleasures of the flesh. The fact that Vianne is a single mother who has never been married is the nail in the coffin, and the Comte condemns Vianne and her chocolate shop. He encourages everyone in town to stay away from her chocolate shop in hopes that she will go out of business and leave, but Vianne is not leaving without a fight. The town's battle between the Comte and Vianne is further complicated when a traveling band of river gypsies land their boats near town and one of the gypsies named Roux (Johnny Depp) takes a special interest in Vianne.
On the surface, Chocolat is the story of a chocolate shop, but underneath, it is a clash of ideals. The Comte is a conservative man who believes in church, family, and community. In his mind, marriage is forever. The church is the moral center of a community and should guide its members towards action. Any member of the community that strays should either be brought back into the flock or rejected from the community altogether. His beliefs come through in his costume design and the design of his office. The Comte dresses well but his clothes aren't flashy, and his office is sparse except for a photo of his wife on his desk.
Not all of the Comte's beliefs are bad or wrong, but the rigidity that he enforces them ends up inadvertently hurting people like Josephine (Lena Olin) who is expected to stay with her abusive husband Serge (Peter Stormare). This is where Vianne steps in. She shows kindness and understanding towards Josephine instead of judgment, and Josephine trusts Vianne enough to confide in her that Serge beats her. Her free spirit and desire to bring people out of their shells is shown through her costume and the design of her chocolate shop as well as through the chocolates themselves. She wears bright colors including a lot of red, and she decorates her shop with pictures of Mayan gods and goddesses.
Although it might seem that Chocolat is skewed in favor of Vianne, I didn't think that was the case at all. Vianne's life might look fun and impulsive, but there are several point in the movie where it is clear that not all is happiness and joy. In her own way, she falls into the same patterns as the people of the town by hiding her true feelings for the sake of saving face. Anouk asks her mother repeatedly to tell the story of her grandparents, even though she's heard it many times before, because she wants a sense of stability and family connection beyond her mother. When Roux asks Vianne how Anouk likes their nomad lifestyle, Vianne tries to lie. She says that Anouk loves it, but after a moment, she breaks down in tears and admits to herself that Anouk hates it.
What I love about Chocolat is that ultimately, it shows that society needs people like the Comte and Vianne alike. The Comte brings stability to the village and reminds its members to reflect on their lives and actions. Vianne, however, balances out the Comte's controlling nature and tendency to reject outsiders. Together, they can create a better town that can hold to certain ideals while acknowledging that life gives us shades of gray. No part of the film captures this message better than the ending. The young idealistic pastor speaks on Easter Sunday about Christ's humanity, and after, the town comes together for Vianne's chocolate festival. The message of Chocolat is ultimately timeless and will speak to future generations in ways that many other films will not, and if that is not deserving of an Oscar, I'm not sure what is.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The Blu-ray release of Chocolat comes with an audio commentary with the director and several producers, several deleted scenes, and featurettes on the making of Chocolat, the costume design, and the production design.
"Chocolat" is on sale July 19, 2011 and is rated PG13. Romance. Directed by Lass Hallstrom. Written by Joanne Harris, Robert Nelson Jacobs. Starring Alfred Molina, Carrie Anne Moss, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Peter Stormare, Victoire Thivisol.
