Chocolat
Claire Denis's first feature, about a colonial childhood in northern Cameroon
- Directed by :
- Claire Denis
- Genre :
- Fiction (drama)
- Running time :
- 1 h 45
- Languages :
- French
The story
France, a young woman, returns to Cameroon, where she grew up, and remembers her childhood in Mindif in 1957. Her father is a colonial administrator there; her mother struggles with her role as mistress of the house. The little girl grows close to Protée, the family's servant, in a household full of unspoken tension and desire.
Why it matters
Claire Denis's first feature; she spent part of her childhood in Cameroon. It was selected for the Cannes competition and drew 793,738 cinema-goers in France, her biggest commercial success. It is a key film about Cameroon at the end of colonial rule.
Filming
Northern Cameroon, near the Mindif peaks, where the crew built the film's house from earth bricks left to dry for two months. The framing story takes place on the road to Douala and heading towards Limbe.
Awards and selections
- Official competition, Cannes Film Festival 1988
- Nominated for the César for Best First Feature, 1989
Cast
- Isaach de Bankolé — Protée, the houseboy
- Giulia Boschi — Aimée Dalens, the mother
- François Cluzet — Marc Dalens, the father
- Cécile Ducasse — France as a child
- Mireille Perrier — France as an adult
What sources disagree on
The village where it was shot is not named: in a 2024 BFI interview, Claire Denis speaks only of "a small village in the North".