Chocolat

Set in rural France, 1959, “Chocolat” is a comic look at traditional mores of a community dominated by the presence of the Catholic Church, revolutionised by the presence of a free-spirited woman with radical ideas about freedom of choice and sensuality. Vianne and her young daughter arrive in Lansquenet, a town where people live austerely, and miserably, whilst disguising their many sins and foibles. Vianne opens a chocolatiers in the main square, just prior to Lent, which causes a scandal among the locals, who slander Vianne, despite being intrigued by her delicious concoctions. But more than just tasty morsels, Vianne’s food is tonic for woes whether it is ennui, grumpiness or impotence. The drama of the Mayor’s intentions to run Vianne out of town is complicated by the presence of Roux (Johnny Depp) a gypsy who is shunned, (along with his brood), by the townsfolk and forms a romantic attachment with Vianne. The film, peppered with stars, is quite saccharine in tone and, at times, cloying with its good intentions. But despite these quibbles, “Chocolat” is distinctly and effectively feel-good and is glorious to look at even as it mythologises an unrecognisable France of the 1950s. Hallstrom (Cider house rules, My life as a dog, The Shipping news) produces his most digestible, albeit unchallenging work to date.