Étude du film Chocolat de Claire Denis

B121640

‘Despite her association with the féminin colonial, Claire Denis's representation in Chocolat of her main adult female protagonist, Aimée, is an ambiguous one.' Discuss.  

‘Chocolat’ by Claire Denis, is a powerful piece, effectively portraying the disparity in humanity; regarding the gender and racial inequality that was prevalent in colonised Cameroon. Denis explores intricate relationships in a discriminative society and subtly examines Aimée’s desire for authority, lust and her struggles of solitude. The autobiographical film elicits the fragments of women colonists’ lives. Through following the life of the narrator, France, we witness her mother’s lack of emancipation. Denis aims to emphasise the inferior positioning of females that was present during the period of colonialism. Denis’s representation of Aimée can be defined as ambiguous, as the viewer is left open to interpretation of her attitudes towards colonisation. In addition, the filmmaker evokes us to draw parallels of Aimée being the inferior gender to the inferiority of the native Cameroonian people. Throughout the film, Denis uses gaze to underline the sexual and cross-racial desire that Aimée has for her black servant Protée. Yet, social standards are essentially trapping her, as she isn’t allowed to pursue a relationship with a black man. However, we also witness her taking over the mans role and perpetuating the patriarchal and colonial system. Therefore, this essay will examine to what extent Claire Denis represents Aimée as an ambiguous character who remains unsure of her motives or whether arguably she is indeed represented in an unequivocal way.

In the opening sequence of the film, we are welcomed with a static long shot, through which Denis immediately establishes a sense of ambiguity within her characters in regards to distance and identity. Only when the black figures arise from the horizon, it is revealed that it is a father and son in the water. The ambiguous nature of the characters from the start of the film is a parallel to the ambiguous representation of Aimée. As, similarly to the the opening, Aimée struggles with the loss of her identity that has been caused by the distance of leaving her homeland, France. In addition, arguably the stark contrast between the sky and the water outlined in the opening emphasises: not only the racial divide between the white settlers and black natives but, also relates directly to the gender divide that was pervasive within society. The composition of the horizon creating a separation, alludes to the idea of men dominating women, the dominance in which Protée and other black servants can relate to along with Aimée.  

The ambiguity of Aimée continues to riddle the viewer. As despite witnessing Aimée’s confinement within colonial society, she continues to dominate others. Denis depicts Aimée’s life to be one of misery and joylessness. The female protagonist rarely smiles; consistently reflecting a somber tone. This is can be largely explained by the notion that she is essentially a prisoner, oppressed by society’s outlook of women and their place in the colonial era. Aimée finds herself to be in an inescapable grip as she endures the lack of emancipation to be with the man she desires, yet she rarely chooses to display her vulnerability or sadness of her situation and instead adopts a commanding attitude towards the servants. Perhaps one of the most outstanding themes of the film is the way in which society teaches us to carry our burdens and go through life cynically and bare of emotions.

Chocolat explores the theme of emotional desire developing within the framework of colonialism. The representation of Aimée is arguably equivocal, as her behaviour throughout the film is not consistent. Denis portrays her to be a stranger to her own motives, who is finding it difficult to understand her desire for Protée. Desire in a colonial society becomes the central theme of the film, in which Denis seduces the viewer to ask whether the desire that Aimée and Protée have for each other is born out of lust and attraction or whether their desire is a result of the colonial environment, and the want to break away from traditional structures that have imprisoned the two characters. Both ambiguity and sexual desire are manifested within the scene where Aimée orders Protée to assist her with her dress, with a mirror opposite them. Denis suggest clearly enough that Aimée could have easily fasten the dress herself. Yet, her strong feelings of desire for Protée essentially lead her to manipulate situations. As Aimée gazes at her reflection, Protée looks up, where in the mirror, their eyes meet. The sexual tension between the two characters is amplified by the length of time that they gaze into each other for. This long sequence emphasises the pairs reluctancy for the moment to end. In addition, not only does the mirror reflect their image but it is symbol of reflecting truth, revealing Aimée’s subconscious desire to be intimate with Protée. The silence from both parties successfully creates suspense, forcing the pair to acknowledge each other and it can be argued that Protée's silence and physical presence are emblematic of the latent Cameroonian resistance.

Aimée’s desire to associate with her subordinate remains to be the most daring temptation for her to dispel of the sexual tensions that have captivated her. Throughout the film, it is established that Protée is a sexual object to Aimée’s gaze and she indulges in his vulnerability and exploitation. Yet, only when she approaches him sexually, she feels as though she must lower herself. Denis presents a scene where Aimée crouches down, like a child. This signifies her inferiority, her loss of assertion and power as the consequences of colonialism have forced her to obtain a submissive nature. Aimée touches Protée’s ankle, he lowers himself only to aggressively pull Aimée to stand up, brining her back to the realisation of the consequences. Arguably the harshness of the scene represents his passion for her, but it also represents his reluctancy to disobey colonial ruling. Essentially, Protée is the one who keeps the horizon firmly in place. This scene’s definitive motive is to emphasise to the viewer that colonialism’s ordeals don’t permit the oppressed to be intimate with the oppressor, regardless of the lust and desire that pervades. The scene also emphasises Aimée’s inability to take responsibility for her actions, emphasising to a degree how deceit and manipulation is a tool she uses to take advantage of others for her own benefit.

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