Chocolat
Call No: PN1997 .C445 2000b
Chocolat has always been one of those movies that I’m familiar with, but I’ve never seen. I knew it was based on a book that I’d never read. I knew it was nominated for a few Oscars that it didn’t win. And, because I have a sister and a mother who are both die-hard fans, I knew it had Johnny Depp. I watched the film and expected some kind of romantic storyline, maybe even of the rom-com variety. What I saw was something deeper than what the general summary suggested there would be.
Make no mistake, there is some romance, but it is hardly the center of the film. Juliette Binoche plays Vianne, a single mother who moves on with her daughter to a new life every time the north wind blows. Unfortunately for her, the new town she moves into is very traditional and religious, hardly a promising place to open her new chocolate shop, especially in the middle of Lent. Despite the scorn of the mayor (Alfred Molina) and townspeople, Vianne stirs up changes and manages to befriend a cynical old woman (Judi Dench), a frightened wife (Lena Olin), and a river drifter (Johnny Depp) in the process. But the troubles of Vianne and her friends are far from simple, and it is only a matter of time before the north wind blows again.
