"Chocolat"

On this beautiful sunday morning, I've had the pleasure of saboring chocolate, enjoying Binoche's candid smile and splendid acting, gazing at Depp's delightful appearance, dreaming of living in a magical small french town like Lansquenet-sous-Tannes...all this just by watching the sweet film: CHOCOLAT.

In this movie, Vianne and her daughter Anoushka are wanderers; moving from town to town every time the 'north wind' changes. They move into a small french town and open up a cozy, beautiful chocolate shop. Vianne is so lighthearded; open to meeting people and welcoming them into her sweet world. But the close-minded people of this traditional town reject her for being sinfully sensual and open-minded. Vianne was one not to pay much mind to tradition or religion. Opening the shop exactly on Lent week, she wins the major's total rejection.

However, trying not to be shot down by the towns people's rejection, she continues to strive in attracting them to her shop. Some came in the shop with total skepticism, "just to check it out and know the enemy", but usually came out happier people. Vianne has such a warm personality, very inviting, very humble, very giving, reaching for closeness, delighted to share her stories and her culinary talents. She helps an old woman reconcile with her grandson and eventually, her daughter. She takes in a lady abused by her husband, teaching her about the world of chocolate and bringing her into her home. She convinces an old man to finally court the mourning lady he'd been spotting for years. She welcomes a group of river drifters when the whole town totally rejects them, as well. By little acts of kindness in return for skepticism and rejection, she had soon enough transformed the conservative locals into happier, open-minded people.

Vianne falls in love with Roux, the leader of the river drifters (ohhh! Johnny Depp!), and while conversing with him realizes that although she's not conservative, inside her exists a set of traditions which she subcoinciously lives by. The whole wandering from town to town when the wind changes, no matter how much this affects little Anoushka, is her way of coping with life.

This film questions tradition in the "sweetest" of ways; leads you to dream about moving to a small village and opening a cute shop; makes you fall in love (YES! with Johnny Depp!); plants a seed of desire for anything sweet! Truly enjoyable :)

I really liked a fragment of a review I found on www.ram.org, "The cinematography and pacing are very good and pangs of desire for something sweet are sure to be felt seeing the delicacies prepared by Vianne. The story is told effectively by creating an aura of enchantment in the way Vianne works: Is she just offering chocolate or is there something more? The actors do an amazing job and give Chocolat its sweetness."