SWEET GRACE
My new favorite movie is "Chocolat", about a little French village in 1959 that is governed by "tranquilité".
In this town, you knew what was expected of you and where your place was. If you happened to forget, someone would remind you. They trusted in the wisdom of ages past, including tradition, family, and morality.
The Mayor, Comte de Reynaud, is the self-appointed guardian of the town. He writes the preacher’s sermons, guides the townspeople in their moral decisions, and overall, tries to maintain the status quo at all costs.
Into this town sweeps a vibrant, young woman named Vianne who is anything but traditional.
She does nothing by the book. She does not go to church, has a daughter without a father present, and has the gall to open a chocolaterie in the middle of Lent.
Her chocolaterie and her grace unexpectedly transform the town and its people. A wounded woman finds the courage to escape her abusive husband. A grandmother renews a broken relationship with her family members. Even the Comte de Reynaud, after an
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