It's a rare film which openly declares itself a fairy-tale and then proceeds to tell its fable with a charm and sweetness one rarely sees this side of It's A Wonderful Life. It even opens with a voice-over that begins: Once Upon a Time..but it's not a children's film. The film's tone is reminiscent of a child's fairy tale, but the film has adult sensuality and a conflict regarding religious beliefs as well. It's also an English language film (in case you were wondering) with an international cast of Swedish, German, English, American and French actors.
The film is not all gooey sweetness and charm and refuses to play it safe. It does not shy away from its sensuality and allows it's actors to show us more than one dimension of character. Even the heavies are presented with a degree of compassion. It's ultimately a romantic sensual film concentrating more on spirituality, fantasy and sensuality than on action, machismo and sex. It is more a women's picture than a guy's movie.
I believe Chocalat will soon become a very much admired holiday themed film for teenagers and adults to watch year after year. It's more of an Easter holiday themed film, since it is set during Lent in 1959 than a Christmas film however. It's a film that is more than a war between the ideologies of paganism and Christianity, and concerns itself with the true meaning of compassion, acceptance and understanding. It's a better film than it was a book.
We are introduced to the film with a brief voice over that begins Once Upon Time and shown a remote French village, introducing a couple of it's characters. There's an unfortunate over-use of some obvious CGI effects in the first establishing shots of the town.
The town is ruled as it has been for generations by a member of the de Reynaud family. An ancestors statue sternly stands guard in the center of town.. We meet the Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina) who insists everyone it the town observe weekly mass, and adhere to a formal belief in Christianity. He's the richest man in tower, the mayor and he helps the new priest in town by editing and rewriting his sermons–which he will later use to help turn the townspeople against the newest member of the village. His wife however has been a long extended Holiday in Italy–perhaps not intending to ever return. (In the book, it was the priest who was the heavy–the change means we don't see a priest being tyrannical and hypocritical instead he's a pawn in another man's ‘war'. This isn't playing it safer though, it's opening it up to be more than a battle of paganism versus Christianity.). The Count believes in leading by example, so he's hard on himself, barely eating anything during his Lental fast and certainly not sweets.
A mysterious woman named Vianne ( played superbly by Julliette Binoche) and her child Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) appears as if traveling on a strong North Wind into the small town. It is the way of these two. They have moved from town to town, sometimes leaving by choice, sometimes run out of town by a scared and fearful populace. Vianne rents a long shuttered bakery from a crabby suspicious old woman (marvelously played by Judi Dench). When the Count stops by to introduce himself to Vianne and invite her to church service, Vianne informs him she doesn't go to church. When he frowns on the idea that she is going to open her bakery during Lent, she informs him it will not a bakery but only says what she is doing is a surprise. The Count is shocked to learn that Vianne is not widowed, but has never been married. He immediately is threatened by her presence and fears she means to challenge everything he stands for. Does she? It would seem not to be the case, but her presence is disruptive to the town.
Finally she opens a chocolatier, specializing in all kinds of exotic chocolates, some promising to cure headaches, lift spirits and even save marriages. We learn Vianne has a secret Chocolate recipe used by an ancient civilization and passed on to her by her mother. A mother who felt it was her destiny to share her chocolate with the world and now... so does her daughter.
How dare this brazen, unmarried, possible atheist woman open a decadent chocolate shop during Lent !!! Who does she think she is? The Count decides she is the enemy and must be banished from the town. Meanwhile, she is winning converts... one of her secret chocolate recipes has
brought passion back into a marriage, another has lifted up the spirits of her cranky old land-lady who then is re-united with her estranged grandson, and she befriends and then protects the abused wife (wonderfully played by Lena Olin) of a tavern owner (Peter Stormare). She even encourages a romance between old timers (John Wood and Leslie Caron –yes THAT Leslie (An American in Paris) Caron.
Who is this woman who almost seems to be dabbling in witchcraft, is making some changes in the townspeople, has an illegitimate daughter and refuses to go Church? What is her real agenda? Is she evil?
When a wandering band of Irish Gypsy river rats appears, the town quickly shuns them by order of the Mayor, The Count. They can't legally kick them out of the town but they can make them want to go when they can find any odd jobs to get paid and they aren't served food or drink anywhere in the town. The leader of the River Rats (Johnny Depp) is accepted however by Vianne and a romance blossoms which further ostracizes her from the town and sets up a near tragic situation which leads to the film's conclusion. It's not a completely predictable conclusion however–though certainly one which will please most audiences.
Johnny Depp in his supporting role as Roux, has never been more relaxed, nor as effective as he is here. He's even got a good sounding Irish accent which sounds natural rather than actor forced. Depp's been getting some critical notices for many years and he's been good in several pictures, but usually his technique as an actor brings an aloofness to the characters he portrays preventing them from being completely believable. I've enjoyed his performances but this is the first time he seems completely at ease and natural.
Director Lasse Hallstrom fresh off The Cider House Rules, and writer Rober Nelson Jacobs (from the novel by Joanne Harris) find the perfect balance of drama and comic whimsy to create a warm modern fable.
Like the best fables there's a gentle, simple sweetness to the tale which requires a strong suspension of belief in the viewer. There's a naivety to the story and characters in the film which could only exist in a fictional world. We aren't bulldozed into the films charms, and we aren't spoon fed its sweetness either. There are some moments of bitterness as well. The film realizes several perfectly realized little moments which gave me a sense of exhilaration--the type I have felt while watching films like Wizard of Oz or It's a Wonderful Life. And while Chocolat isn't quite that good, it does come close in many ways. It's a film I look forward to viewing and enjoying many more times. . . perhaps annually during Lent.
Chris Jarmick, Author (The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder-a steamy cyber- thriller Available January 2001)
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