Happy
The academy award winning movie “Chocolat” directed by Lasse Hallstrom in 2000, based in a small French village which has a very strict ethical code, where there is a hierarchy and everyone knows their place. The viewers are embraced on a journey of transformation of the town where a single “Chocolaterie” and the baker Vianne, changed a prejudice town for the better and united all the people to one happy family. Chocolate is a metaphor for unity, happiness and essentially acceptance in this movie as it brings out the good in people and allows them to be who they really are instead of simply following a code of conduct.
In the opening scene, Vianne (the baker) along with her daughter, who can be said to be “drifters” arrive in a small French village. In a town where religion plays the predominant role in how people live their lives, opening a “chocolaterie” at the beginning of lent would seem like a bad business investment. This is exactly what Vianne does, and she is faced with many obstacles and skepticism from the people before her greatness is finally seen. It would seem absurd that something as sweet and harmless as chocolate, would cause such a problem for the people of this small town. One person in particular, the mayor Comte de Reynaud, really does not want to see Vianne succeed and tries to use everything in his power to try crush Viannes business. He sees that his role is to preserve the values his ancestors established centuries ago and that these values have to respected and followed by everyone in this town, and if not, you were not welcome. Through her craft in chocolate and along with her persistence and endurance in the town, Vianne teaches the people “something about acceptance” and rids of the towns prejudices to make it a better place.
Before Viannes arrival, the atmosphere in the town does not seem right. The people are essentially the followers of the mayor instead of living their own lives. That is why Vianne has a hard time getting her chocolates out there. The place is very boring and people’s lives look like a routine opposed to something that should and adventure where everyone is happy. The chocolaterie really changes everything in the town. In the character of Yvette Marceau we see her struggle for love from her husband and how her dull and boring marriage is transformed by chocolate. She is the first one brave enough to go against the rules and get some chocolate. Vianne prescribes some “Unrefined cacao nips from Guatemala, to awaken the passions” in Yevettes husband. Upon consuming the cacao nips Alphonse Marceau suddenly “awakens” and the pair spend the night in love, just like they did in their younger days. We can see here how chocolate does not only represent a sweet for Yevette but it brings happiness to her and her marriage, sparking cure which possibly saved her marriage.
Much like in the character of Yevette where chocolate brought her marriage happiness, Josephine Muscat another character, is saved by the chocolaterie and chocolate. Before Vianne arrived Josephine did not have anyone to look to for comfort or anyone to hear her out. She was seen as the town “freak” and had a very bad marriage. She had not yet sprouted into her full potential. In her confession Vianne about her struggles Josephine said “You don't misbehave here. It's just not done, did you know that? If you don't go to confession, if you don't... dig your flowerbeds, or if you don't pretend, if you don't pretend... that you want nothing more in your life than to serve your husband three meals a day, and give him children, and vacuum under his ass, then... then you're... then you're crazy” we really see how the pressures of the town rules and expectations created fear in Josephine. One night after she was brutally beaten by her husband she turned to Vianne and the chocolaterie which ended up becoming her new home. This helped her find her sense of belonging. She began working in for Vianne, making chocolates, helping out, and all the other jobs in the chocolaterie. She really started to live and her real personality started to blossom and she was not different anymore. We can see here how the chocolate is used as a symbol of happiness and belonging , through it Josephine’s life was saved. Josephine turned out to be the pivotal character which made Vianne stay in the village because she saw the importance of what Vianne was doing for the village; she was transforming everyone in it.
One of the most significant characters that the chocolate brought happiness and taught acceptance to was, the mayor, Comte de Reynaud. The mayor’s life consisted of enforcing the rules, being the role model for the people and most of all being a “hard ass”. He demanded respect and put people back in line if they violated the rules. But deep under this shell power was an unsecure person. His wife left him and he too didn’t know who he really was this is why he had to follow the rules because that is all he had. The chocolateri painted a big problem for the mayor. It was located across the church and open during the season of Lent. His mission was to exterminate Vianne “Let me try to put this into perspective for you. The first Comte de Reynaud expelled all the radical Huguenots in this village. You and your truffles present a far lesser challenge.” Constantly thought the movie the director hints that the mayor is suffering. When he sees food his mouth starts to water, he drinks lemon tea and all these things show towards his unhappiness. If you have devoted yourself to God and you are fasting, then Lent should not be a pressure or a challenge, you do this willingly. It seems like the mayor believes he has to fill the shoes of his ancestors and keep the traditions going instead of doing things that he likes. Eventually his temptation gives in and he cannot resist the chocolates, so he breaks into Viannes shop and indulges himself to all the chocolates. Viannes forgiveness really changes the mayor. He learns himself that not everyone can be perfect and that it is not really his duty to be a part of everyone’s lives. He learns to be more accepting of other people and this is thanks to Vianne and her chocolates.
Even thought most of the transformation can be seen through the character profiles, the director also uses some filming techniques to portray happiness and unity amongst the villagers. On instance is the statue of a previous mayor. The statue at the start of the movie has a very serious face, its looking down on the people and is very large, almost like a big brother thing. This goes back to the towns attitude that everything has to be in line. The final scene we get an image of the statue again but this time it has a happy face and a warm feeling. The atmosphere in the town is also different at the end of the movie that the start. At the end there is a big festival and everyone is happy and joyful opposed to the start were everyone was going to church and it was all serious. The director implements these contrasting scenes in order to show us that the chocolate has really changed the people as a whole.
We can see how chocolate represents happiness and unity in the movie in many way. Through the characters of Yevette, Josephine and the mayor we see a transformation in their personality for the better. Their inner self has really come forth and they are now people that they want to be not following a template created by someone else. The director uses imagery as well to portray that this small predjudice village has changed for the better. In the end the chocolate put a happy face on everyone.

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