In Chocolat (2000), directed by Lasse Hallström, the members of the town seem to hold a strong prejudice against outsiders. When Vianne and her daughter Anouk move into town, they are unwelcomed because of their differences. Although she is unaccepted by the people of the town, Vianne looks past these problems and spreads hope to others in the town who are suffering from the same indifferences. The people of the town hold a prejudice against those who are different because they are strong believers of tradition, so they do not want to stray from their ancestor’s ways.
In the small, French village, a set of guidelines have been put into place, which has held true for generations. These guidelines are words of advice as to how to live in the town in order to fit in. The people of the town know what is expected of them by others, but some still struggle to fit in, regardless of how well they follow the rules.
“If you lived in this village, you understood what was expected of you. You knew your place in the scheme of things. And if you happen to forget, someone would remind you. … If you saw something you weren’t suppose to see, you learned to look the other way. If by chance your hopes had been disappointed, you learned never to ask for more.”
The townspeople never stray from these beliefs because they can never be forgotten, but when Vianne and Anouk arrive, everything changes. When Vianne and Anouk arrive, the people of the town realize they are different. They build a prejudice against them because they have never been confronted with a different type of person before. Everyone in the town has always followed the same guidelines, but when Vianne shows up, she seems like a threat to their traditions. The mayor of the town, Comte de Reynaud, encourages the people to ignore Vianne and her daughter, and “look the other way”. Vianne is considered different because she does not go to church, she is not married yet she has a daughter, and she has opened a chocolate shop during Lent. Many people in the town do not like the chocolate shop because the chocolate is a temptation, which is what they must avoid during the time of Lent. As time continues, Vianne seems to make friends with those in the town who are considered outsiders. She is able to win them over because she is relatable and stands for what they believe in. These outsiders would finally have someone in their lives that they can look to for inspiration and someone who can encourage them to be themselves; be different. Vianne gives these people a sense of belonging and acceptance in the town, rather than being the unwanted outsiders. The prejudice against Vianne, Anouk, and the outsiders is cause by a fear of change and difference. The town has old traditions which are strongly followed, but Vianne seems to challenge these traditions, making her the outcast.
When the town experiences some ups and downs, they realize that Vianne is not trying to change the town, but rather introduce it to new ideas and traditions. After months of resisting the shop, the mayor gives into Vianne’s chocolate and ends up regretting the grudge he held against her and the shop. The following day, the church service was about welcoming new ideas and keeping an open mind to change, rather than trying to keep it away. After hearing the service, the townspeople are happier than ever and very accepting of each other. Vianne holds a chocolate festival the next day, hoping the town will officially welcome her, Anouk, and the chocolate shop, which is exactly what happened. The whole town showed up to enjoy the chocolate and celebrate change and a new sense of being. This small town needed a person like Vianne to come and change the prejudice ways. Although the town did not accepting of Vianne and Anouk when they arrived, they ended up changing the town for the better. The main reason the townspeople held a prejudice against outsiders was because the mayor wanted to hold onto the town’s traditions, so the people of the town followed by his example. Once the mayor changed his opinion, the rest of the town accepted Vianne and her chocolate shop. The mayor always made sure the townspeople were following the standard, but once he gave into Vianne and let is guard down, the people realized that Vianne is actually a good person who is trying to help a town. Vianne proved to this town that you can hold onto your old traditions while creating new ones.
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