Illustrating your answer in reference to Chocolat (1988) and secondary Essay

Illustrating your answer in reference to Chocolat (1988) and secondary reading, answer the following question. Give reasons for - Essay Example The substance of this prose will examine the role of the non-mainstream media in dealing with these issues in the light of Claire Denis’ movie titled Chocolat. Chocolat provides an interesting insight into the dynamics of race and colonialism. It is set in the remote region of Cameroon and tells the story from the perspective of a European child, whose father is the colonial administrator. The story is slow paced and has no real elements of a commercial film. There is hardly any exchange of dialogues between the characters and most of the actions and events in the story are left open-ended for the viewers to interpret. The narrator’s mother and her servant weave the main conflict of the story; the latter being a well-built Cameroonian with integrity and moral fibre that goes unnoticed because of his race, while the former is a lonely housewife. The movie incorporates visual elements that seek to explain the West’s sexual fascination with the inhabitants of their colonized territories; the African people in this case. It is understandable that the African culture is indeed exotic, but it is not just a sexual preference but depicts a greater need to dominate the people that they now own. The Africans were just seen as slaves but the attitude of their colonizers continues to mould their perception of contemporary Europeans and the non-Mainstream media often shows a glimpse of it from time to time. I. Claire Denis’ Chocolat (1988) The movie is set against the backdrop of French colonialism of the West African region. The plot is propelled forward through the flashbacks of a woman named France travelling around the outskirts of Cameroon, who manages to get a lift from an African American man passing by. While on the road, she is flooded with the memories of her childhood and reminisces about the time when her father was the Colonial Administrator of Cameroon, which forms the subsequent parts of the story. The entire story is told from the perspective of young France, who is befriended by their handsome African servant, Protee. France has a beautiful companionship with the houseboy, but unbeknownst to her, her young, attractive mother harbours romantic feelings for Protee, which are hinted to be mutual and serves as the prime complication in the story. Her desire for Protee is further escalated by the fact that her husband, France’s father is scarcely present around the house. The house is set in a remote locale, in order to fully focus on the emotional development of a handful of characters. The sexual tension between Aimee and Protee is a fundamental theme throughout the story, because Aimee cultivated such desires for a man who was not anywhere close to her race. She was the colonist, whereas Protee was the slave; in the eyes of the society, any kind of courtship or romance was completely out of question and was tabooed by the then-society. The African slaves were reduced to a status of a sub-human form and were denied privacy, whilst their Colonial Lords had every single ounce of that luxury. Protee often bathed in the open, while he was being silently watched by Aimee. It is ostensible that Aimee developed her sexual desires for him because of these minor occurrences and the absence of her husband led to the mounting of her sexual frustration. Even when