Is Chocolat a remedy for what ails Christianity?
I doubt that Lasse Hallstrom’s Chocolat will break any box office records, but it may garner an Academy Award nomination or two. If you were a fan of Babette’s Feast, you’ll love Chocolat. It’s a feast for body, mind and spirit. To be sure there is enough eye candy in this one to please those who go to the movies for pure visual pleasure: the sensuality of Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, the picturesque French village of Lansquenet, and the assortment of characters who move in and out of the village church, chocolate shop, medieval castle and surrounding countryside where most of the action takes place. There is a strong story line that begins when Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouk arrive in the village to open up a “chocolatier.” No ordinary cook, Vianne draws upon some prodigious intuitive powers to discern the thoughts and feelings of those that surround her and suggest exactly the right combination of candy and counsel to address their deeper hungers. Vianne is part French and
