Chocolat (Denis, 1988) DVD, 1988

In her remarkable debut feature from 1988, director Claire Denis used her own life as inspiration, exploring the relationships between a black servant, Protée, and a French family living in Colonial Africa (the whole film was shot on location in Cameroon). When a plane is forced to land nearby the family takes in the European passengers, and the radical clash of cultures begins to become apparent. The title, never explained in the film, is a play on 1950s French slang – ‘chocolat’ is used here to mean the status of being black and being cheated by the colonialists.

The otherness of Africa is subtly represented by Denis, with the stern morals of Protée contrasting with the vulgar, bourgeois intruders. It gradually becomes apparent that the mother is attracted to the manservant, yet class and racism intervene. Denis’ confident handling of the material allows the shots to speak for themselves, with a minimum of dialogue. It is the first film of a fascinating career, and many of its themes would reappear in Denis’ masterpiece, Beau Travail.

Alex Davidson on 2nd March 2009
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In Claire Denis' assured and compelling debut, 'Chocolat', a woman called France returns to new-independent Cameroon, where she had spent her childhood during French r... more >

In Claire Denis' assured and compelling debut, 'Chocolat', a woman called France returns to new-independent Cameroon, where she had spent her childhood during French rule. The film is a quietly dignified and evocative, superbly acted and subtle exploration of race relations, intrinsically repressive colonialism and its aftermath. < less

View all 49 of John Davies’s reviews