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      Chocolat

      PG-13 Released Jul 18, 1980 1 hr. 45 min. Drama List
      71% 14 Reviews Tomatometer 67% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score An affluent white woman named France (Mireille Perrier) returns to her childhood home in Cameroon after many years of living in France. While there, she reflects upon her youth. When she was growing up in the former French colony in the 1950s, her life was one of privilege, escape and ignorance. She bonded with an African servant named Protée (Isaach de Bankolé), even though she was unaware of the larger racial and social tensions stirring all around her. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Nice cinematography..EXTREMELY BORING. Not suggested to watch. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member The exquisitely shot slow moving French Film based heavily on the director's own experiences in Africa. Strong characters in an simple but proactive film that allowed the characters personalities to add themselves to the canvas of the vast African Landscapes. Although this film did travel rather slow it had many great scenes between the young girl & head black slave. It's a little bit dull in parts but it often has bouts of life. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member An evocative and beautifully shot period drama set in colonial Cameroon. The lethargic pacing and drawn out scenes make it a bit of a slog to sit through but there's no denying it's quiet power and that it has important points to make. Claire Denis went on to make the much better, similarly themed White Material. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Johnny Depp as a gypsy! Hah! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A gorgeous film about a young girl growing up in Africa during the last days of French colonialism. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Slow, presumably to match the pace of life, but largely successful story of childhood and the colonial experience, emphasising the alien presence of the uncomprehending Europeans, a recurring theme in her later films. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Chocolat is one of those rare films with an entirely mature, adult sensibility; it is made with the complexity and subtlety of a great short story. Rated: 4/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) [Chocolat] represents another impressive debut in a growing list of distinguished women filmmakers. May 9, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Chocolat is bitter, lumpy, thickened with cornstarch, and absolutely unpalatable. [Full review in Spanish] Jun 21, 2022 Full Review Shannon Gramas Spectrum Culture Denis debut feature has made it clear that she is a great artist who is more than aware that nothing is clear; that ambiguity reigns in all arenas of life and that every barrier to connection is both real and not real. Apr 1, 2022 Full Review Jas Keimig The Stranger (Seattle, WA) While I think films centered around white colonist experiences in African countries tend to be deeply uncomfortable to watch, Denis adds nuance and a gentle touch. Jan 20, 2022 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews ... a brilliantly accomplished low-budget childhood drama shot on location in West Africa. Rated: A Aug 4, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis An affluent white woman named France (Mireille Perrier) returns to her childhood home in Cameroon after many years of living in France. While there, she reflects upon her youth. When she was growing up in the former French colony in the 1950s, her life was one of privilege, escape and ignorance. She bonded with an African servant named Protée (Isaach de Bankolé), even though she was unaware of the larger racial and social tensions stirring all around her.
      Director
      Claire Denis
      Screenwriter
      Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau
      Rating
      PG-13
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      French (Canada)
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jul 18, 1980, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jul 24, 2001