Chocolat

Vianne and Anouk visit Roux. The houseboats are decorated and well kept. She recognizes his companions, including Zézette, Blanche, and Mahmed, who welcome them and Pantoufle. Vianne enjoys the delicious food that Roux cooks, noting that he is relaxed and humorous. He banters with Armande and plays with Anouk, who loves his boat, which he fixed up himself from a wreck. People play music, and Anouk dances with other children. Later, Vianne feels that they were watched, possibly from Muscat’s café.

Anouk sings a French song about setting sail in a good wind. Vianne stands outside enjoying the March winds. After Mass, Josephine comes in and warns Vianne that Reynaud has preached against her, Armande, and the travelers, whom she says must flee to avoid getting hurt. She is scared but resigned to her fate of staying with Muscat, hurrying out of the shop before he finishes confession. She gifts Vianne a handful of stolen trinkets. Vianne and Anouk visit Armande in her house with her cats. She is frustrated at Caro’s attempts to influence her physically and spiritually; she doesn’t want to be controlled by doctors or priests. She remembers helping Caro after a youthful indiscretion. She reveals that Reynaud grew up here, though he pretends to be from elsewhere. She vows to live with more excess, like Rimbaud. Her manner reminds Vianne of her mother, planning places to visit when she knew that she was dying.

That night, Vianne dreams of walking with Armande at Disneyland while Caro and Reynaud hold hands. She hears traffic coming closer. Armande eats voraciously, talking in Vianne’s mother’s voice; Reynaud, afraid, tells her that the food is poisoned. He and Vianne blame each other. She wakes up, and Anouk comforts her. Vianne is confused about the Black Man—whether he chases or is chased. She hears her mother’s voice saying that it is Vianne herself who brings change.

Reynaud predicts a harsh summer. He remembers 1975, when the Romani people came. a disease brutally spread through their animals and then the local and wild animals. Some villagers, including Narcisse, talked about charity, but père preached against them, instructing the villagers not to sell them food, water, or medicine. Their boats were destroyed in a fire, and they left. Reynaud is angry that some villagers are amused by his campaign against the chocolaterie. Even Georges and Caro say that the chocolate festival is harmless. In confession, he thinks that a woman is eating chocolate and screams at her, but he doubts afterward whether she was. He laughs hysterically at this. He attributes his strange behavior to a fever or digestive issues and vows to fast even more. He thinks that the wind makes people strange and volatile. He laments that Vianne is destroying their community and vows to protect it.

Armande and Luc’s relationship blossoms during their secret meetings in the chocolaterie. He accepts her invitation to a party, which she is throwing to thank those who worked on her roof.

Guillaume comes for the first time in a while with Charly’s lead on his wrist. He has had Charly put down, as he was suffering too much. Armande and Vianne reassure him that his grief is valid, even if Reynaud thinks otherwise. He feels that it is wrong that he is so hungry. Armande invites him over for food and buys him florentines. She makes him leave the lead. Later, Anouk asks if Vianne will die, insisting that it won’t be for a long time. She asks where Charly is now—Vianne doesn’t know but hopes that he’s in a new creature or plant. Anouk wants to find the new Charly to give to Guillaume—she says that Pantoufle will recognize him. Vianne can’t sleep and uses her mother’s magical paraphernalia for a ritual reaching out to Charly.

Reynaud notes that the river people are leaving. Struggling to sleep, he often walks around at night. He recalls the previous night, hiding and watching Armande’s party by the river. His smell is heightened, so the food is vivid to him. He sees Vianne holding a blue flame and is terrified that she is performing a pagan ritual. He laughs hysterically on realizing that she is flambéing pancakes. His stomach hurts, and he imagines emerging from his hiding place and eating and laughing with them. He wonders if he is experiencing temptation, comparing it to an unspecified incident of his père being tempted in a chancery.

Suddenly, a fire starts on Roux’s boat. Roux leaps over, untethering neighboring boats so that the fire doesn’t spread. He tries in vain to extinguish it, jumping into the water before the petrol tank explodes. Reynaud prays as the burning petrol spreads across the water, scared that Roux will die, but he emerges safely. Heading back, Reynaud sees Muscat nearby, who smells of petrol. He ignores him, telling himself that anything could have started the fire.

Vianne visits Armande. The boats have gone, except for the burnt remains of Roux’s. Roux stays to finish Armande’s roof, sleeping in a derelict house and angrily refusing her money. Vianne looks for him using her mother’s methods, to no avail. In the chocolaterie, Guillaume tells Vianne that Renaud has said nothing of the fire, which is strange since he has been so vocal about the river people. He conjectures that he knows something from the confessional. He hopes that Narcisse will give Roux a job, as he does not discriminate about who he employs and often lets Romani people camp on his land. He wonders if Narcisse is actually a better Christian than anyone else, but Vianne thinks that rather than good or bad Christians, there are good or bad people. She believes being happy is the most important thing.

Later, Josephine comes in. She has taken 900 francs and left Muscat. Josephine wonders what happened to the bright, confident person she was before 10 years in an abusive marriage. She plans to take the bus to a nearby bigger town, but Vianne convinces her to stay with her instead. She does not want Josephine to be constantly on the run, like she and her mother were. Vianne, Anouk, and Josephine eat together. She shares exciting stories with Josephine about her past travels to cheer her up but remembers envying settled people. Anouk shares Vianne’s room to give Josephine space, so Vianne suggests converting the attic into a room for Anouk, aware of the permanence that this implies. Muscat comes looking for Josephine, who doesn’t want to speak with him. Vianne cracks the door on a chain and tells him that Josephine has left him. He tries violent threats and emotional manipulation. Eventually, Josephine comes and tells him that it is over, shutting the door. He hammers at it, cries, and throws clay at the windows in the middle of the night. Vianne does her forked protective gesture. She dreams of Reynaud standing over the old man’s bed, holding matches and a cross.

The shop is busy, as people have heard about Josephine and are curious. Josephine manages well behind the counter. Armande and Narcisse are supportive of her. Guillaume and Anouk come in with Pantoufle and a small dog, probably abandoned. Anouk is excited, thinking that Guillaume will keep it, but he’s unsure. He shares his florentines. Caro and Joline, in matching fashionable outfits, reproach Armande and gossip about Josephine. Reynaud visits Josephine and censures her about the sanctity of marriage. He pressures her to return to her husband and to church. He questions how long she can stay with Vianne, who has her business and child to worry about. Vianne says that she’s offering Josephine a job since she needs help for the chocolate festival and that she is welcome to stay as long as she needs.