Chocolat 2016

Chocolat Move Poster

Don't panic I haven't switched to a blog about french cinima its just that I have happened across two french films on consecutive evenings thats all.

The story of Rafael Padila who escaped slavery and join the circus, thats where this film picks up his story. Playing a savage to ignorant audiences it is 1885 Rafael Padila is convinced to team up with a struggling clown to perform a new and unique show. Centred around him being abused in various different ways to comic and slapstick effect the act makes it big and is taken up by the largest circus in Paris.

Rafael struggles with his fame and turns to gambling, alcohol and then drugs to deal with his fame and the fact that he is only recognised and promoted by the colour of his skin and not his actual talents. The addictions get worse as time goes on until he's heavy in debt to the criminal world. Rafael wants to show that he is more than just the foil in a racist act and turns his hand to acting.

With the criminal world chasing him for his heavy debt and a drug and alcohol problem he struggles to learn his lines for Shakespeare's Othello and on opening night the play bombs and Rafael suffers further abuse and it spells the end of his acting. The films cuts to an older Rafael who's working as a stage hand in the circus and dying fro TB his ex partner is supporting him financially and is be his bedside reminiscing about old times as he slips away.

While the racism in this film is a thread that travels through the film its more of a celebration for a pioneer as the first black man to appear on the stage in France and does a very good job of showing you the struggles he had to deal with and how he overcame them for better and worse. I found it to be a good film and it kept me going all the way through. Give it a watch and remember the trail blazers who fought through the hardships to set us on the footing of equality that hopefully we'll find one day!