Chocolat (2000 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

'You told me. Remember?

"Something has to be done, Serge."

You did , didn't you?'

~(Serge)~

"People could have died.

You want their blood on your hands?

On--on my hands?"

~(Reynaud)~

"Should I go to Pere Henri and ask for forgiveness?"

~(Serge)~

"Listen to me, Serge.

Listen very carefully.

You must leave this village at once...

and never return."

~(Reynaud)~

"Why would I leave my home and my cafe?"

~(Serge)~

"Because I'm evicting you, that's why!

What you have done puts you beyond anyone's help...

beyond my help, anybody's help!

Now get out!

Unless you will tell the police what you've done! 

Get out!  Get out!  Get out!"

~(Reynauld)~

Chocolat (2000 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Chocolat (French pronunciation: ​[ʃɔkɔla]) is a 2000 romance film based on the novel of the same name by Joanne Harris.  Chocolat tells the story of a young mother, played by Juliette Binoche, who arrives at the fictional, repressed French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter and opens La Chocolaterie Maya, a small chocolaterie. Her chocolate quickly begins to change the lives of the townspeople.

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It was also nominated for eight BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes. It won a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Plot

Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche), an expert chocolatier, drifts across Europe with her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol). In the winter of 1959, they travel to a tranquil French village that closely adheres to tradition, as led by the village mayor, Comte Paul de Reynaud (Alfred Molina). Vianne opens a Chocolaterie just as the villagers begin observing the forty days of Lent, much to the chagrin of Reynaud. Vianne, who wears more provocative clothing, does not go to church, and has an illegitimate child, does not fit in well with the town's people, but is nevertheless optimistic about her business. Her friendly and alluring nature begins to win the villagers over one by one, causing Reynaud to openly speak against her for tempting the people during a time of abstinence and self-denial.
 

One of the first to fall under the spell of Vianne and her confections is Armande (Judi Dench), her elderly, eccentric landlady.
 

Vianne also develops a friendship with a disturbed woman, Josephine (Lena Olin), who is a victim of brutal beatings by her alcoholic husband Serge (Peter Stormare). After a particularly brutal blow to the head, Josephine leaves her husband and moves in with Vianne and Anouk. As she begins to work at the chocolaterie and Vianne teaches her craft, Josephine becomes a self-confident, changed woman. Under the instruction of Reynaud, Serge seemingly changes into a better man and he asks Josephine to come back to him. Finally happy and fulfilled, Josephine declines. A drunken Serge breaks into the chocolaterie later that night and attempts to attack both women before Josephine, in a moment of empowerment, knocks him out with a skillet.
 

As the rivalry between Vianne and Reynaud worsens, a band of river gypsies camp out on the outskirts of the village. While most of the town objects to their presence, Vianne embraces them, developing a mutual attraction to the gypsy Roux (Johnny Depp). Together they hold a birthday party for Armande with other village members and gypsies on Roux's boat.
 

After the party, Vianne, Josephine, and Anouk all sleep on the boats, where Roux and Vianne make love. Late that night, Serge sets the boat on fire where Josephine and Anouk are sleeping. Both escape unharmed, but Vianne's faith in the village is shaken.  After the fire, Roux packs up and leaves with his group, much to Vianne's sadness.

***

I loved this movie.  It clicked in so many ways with me on a personal level. 
 

But...

it was the dialogue between Reynaud and Serge after the fire catching my attention the most.
 

Reminding me how surprised the Romney/Ryan campaign was learning,

after the election,

how one of their biggest block of voters taken for granted stayed home election day...

the angry white male voters.
 

 This past October while my mother and sister were visiting, 

my sister wanted to check out some estate sales while here;  

feeling a little bit nosey, even deciding to check out a garage sale 

located 

extremely wealthy West Pace Ferry area of  Atlanta.

Two things I noticed immediately as we drove by all the huge homes with expansive/well manicured front lawns:

 

1. Only one Obama/Biden sign among a sea of Romney/Ryan campaign signs stuck in these lawns near the curb of the street.
2. On that beautiful sunny afternoon, there being more Hispanics per square mile working those lawns 

than
Conservatives

living that whole neighborhood!

Maybe these peckerwoods are finally catching on

how

the Republican elites

have been plucking their string; tricking them into doing their dirty work.


I don't care how high, wide, or deep a wall is built along the Mexican border;
you are not going to stop Hispanics from finding our borders' weak spots
as long as
they know there will be jobs waiting for them once here.

 Wealthy conservatives
always
claiming they will have to lay off workers
if
their taxes are raised.

They certainly are
NOT
going to lay off the Hispanics  maintaining their lawns as they are already doing the job for less than anyboby else willing to do the same job.

Certainly
NOT

about to do their own lawns themselves...

either!