On her way to visit her childhood home in a colonial outpost in Northern Cameroon, a young French woman recalls her childhood, her memories concentrating on her family's houseboy.
Direction
Denis's first feature already knows silence speaks loudest.
Cinematography
Heat shimmers off every frame. You can taste the humidity.
Acting
Isaach de Bankolé's stillness contains multitudes.

Director
Claire Denis
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Denis drew from her own childhood in colonial Cameroon; her mother appears as herself in the present-day framing scenes.
The title's 'Chocolat' was French slang for 'African'—the film reclaims this slur as commentary on commodified Black labor.