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Chocolat | Year: 1989 Classification: Foreign Film - French Directed: - Lasse Hallström Actors/Actresses: - Alfred Molina - Carrie Ann Moss - Johnny Depp - Judi Dench - Lena Olin - Isaach De Bankolé - Giulia Boschi - François Cluzet - Juliette Binoche snooze It was a pretty movie visually, but there is no plot and the character relationships go nowhere. It may be interesting to watch once, but only if you are very awake! It's a snoozer for sure... Exquisite Elegance Claire Denis's Chocolat tells the tale of a french woman returning to africa to visit the home where she has spent her childhood. After a brief introduction to the enigmatic woman named France the film transgresses into her childhood. Without any obvious plot or even protagonist we watch a family living in Africa during colonialism. The film concentrates on the daily activities of this family. An argument with the cook, Planting flowers, eating, showering, and so on. There is an interesting character named protee who is a servant to France's family. Protee has a complex and interesting relationship with France and her mother Aimee, it is the examination of this relationship that is the bulk of the film. Chocolat has breathtaking cinematography, Denis uses long shots tastefully, to establish for us, the massive, vast African landscape. Several critics have named Claire Denis as the best french filmmaker working today, and I tend to agree. Her last film Beau Travail was a powerful work based on Britten's Billy Bud opera. If you have an interest in art cinema, explore the works of Claire Denis, one of the last true artists working in cinema today. Be careful what you pray for because you may get it If you want to watch a movie about colonial Africa, watch this one. But be aware that this movie puts a very heary burden on the patience of the average sensory-overloaded person in our society. Not enough happens to keep one's interest. Yes, the photography is good, the scenery is great, the characters are mildly interesting, etc., but things happen so slowly -- or things happen that aren't really things that are happening, such as a woman sitting and staring into the distance for a long, long time -- that what I'll remember most about this movie is that it was boring. It also tries too hard to be artsy. The last minute or so of the film, which simply depicts the natives' attitude towards nature (rain), had beautiful music and was engrossing to watch, but seemed to be tacked on so as to end the movie artistically. Buy Chocolat at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Chocolat Search with the Priority Search Engine on Chocolat This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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