Chocolat

Chocolat is a delicious movie! It’s also a really great movie to explore this month’s theme of love.

Yes, there’s a love story in it (Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) but that’s a pretty minor strand in the over all narrative. What’s more interesting to explore, I think, is the aspect of love we’d call compassion.

Follow the story of Vianne, the central character. She shows great compassion and understanding throughout the whole movie. It’s through her compassion that everyone else in the village is released from their misery. Armande, Caroline’s mother, emerges from bitterness to flourish as a playful, passionate grandmother. Josephine finds her self-worth and the courage to break free from her abusive husband thanks to Vianne’s compassion and encouragement. Even the Count himself, is ultimately released from his self-denial and autocratic behaviour patterns by Vianne’s compassion when she finds him in her shop window. Notice how she parents her daughter too, at one point responding to her daughter’s “I hate you” with “you have every right to”, while firmly insisting on obedience.

There are many aspects of love to explore in Vianne’s story. The theme of the “clever North wind” calling her to move on is also interesting because we see she’s only released from being blown whichever way the wind blows when she finally lets go of her grief for her mother.

The main love theme which runs through this movie though, is tolerance and acceptance of others – especially others who are not like ourselves. There’s a great tendency to fear and to reject “incomers” and “travelers” not only in small towns, but even in large cities. How often are immigrants and those of “other” cultures rejected by the local populations?

The young priest, on Easter Sunday, makes the point of highlighting Jesus’ humanity, not his divinity. He’s referring to the human capacity for love and compassion.

So, push out your understanding of Valentine’s Day being for lovers, watch this movie, and see how you can extend your compassion way beyond the 14th of February.