1988
Dir. Claire Denis
With Isaach de Bankolé, Giulia Boschi, Cécile Ducasse, François Cluzet,
105 Min, 35mm
A masterpiece of the cinematic cannon, Chocolat was Claire Denis’ debut feature setting her on the path to becoming one of the most prominent international filmmakers working today. “A film of infinite delicacy,” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times) Chocolat is a reflection of Denis’ own childhood spent in Africa during the twilight years of French colonialism. On a Cameroon farm, a small French family co-exists with a host of black servants. Upsetting the racial divide, both mother and daughter are fascinated by Prote'e (Isaach De Bankole), a charismatic house boy who “gives Chocolat its hypnotic soul” (Desson Howe, Washington Post). Nominated for the 1988 Palme d’Or, Chocolat is a visual poem about a vital moment in a history both personal and political.
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