Response to "Chocolat"

Each human is motivated by a core desire. It is what shapes our character and our being. Many times this desire develops in our past and trickles into our adulthood. In the movie, Chocolat the writers and director use character development to enrich the plot and reveal each individuals motivation.

The story opens up when the mysterious “north wind” blows Vianne and her daughter Anouk into the seemingly quiet French village. As the story progresses we learn the north wind also sent Vianne and her mother traveling from place to place. As a result, Vianne never knew home as a place but as a journey. The heroine’s mother not only gave her restlessness but a welcoming spirit to different people and cultures. When Vianne opens her chocolate shop to the town, it is adorned with Latin inspired ceramics and decorations. These objects of paganism can be juxtaposed against the town’s rigid Christian practice. The Mayan pieces are not only juxtaposed but are also symbolic of Vianne’s character. The Mayan’s were known for their abilities to create. When Vianne brings her chocolate shop into the village she not only creates sweet treats but also forms bonds between people different from herself. Hallstrom uses Vianne’s experiences to build her character.

Like Vianne’s mother shaped her, Vianne shaped her daughter Anouk. Throughout the movie, we see Anouk’s unhappiness with their constant travel. We see how her childhood has been shaped because she has not had a place to call home, including her rejection by the town’s children and her imaginary friend. Within the final scenes, Vianne gathers her belongings once again feeling the north wind’s pull. Anouk pleads with her mother to let them stay.

As the two begin to make their final descent down the stairs of their apartment, Anouk accidentally drops the urn filled with Vianne’s mother’s ashes. The two frantically gather the ashes, but it delays their journey. The breaking of the vase symbolized the beginning of a transition in the two’s lives. One of the final scenes in the movie, showed Vianne being lured awake by the north wind. She takes the remainder of her mother’s ashes and tosses them into the wind. From that moment on, Vianne and Anouk were free from their consistent restlessness and finally settled into a home.