Chocolate

Eastern Eye

Madman (2009)

R4 DVD

Chocolate is an unusual film. The traditional portrayal of people with autism in Western films is generally sentimental. While the focus is usually on their ability to overcome their limitations, so often it is within the context of the nuclear family with an emphasis on emotional conflicts and interpersonal difficulties. While Chocolate presents a very different approach; the first thirty minutes create a real sense of connection with a child growing with a learning disability, at the same time within this framework there is the constant intrusion of the real world, brutal as it is. Her mother, Zin was a debt collector for the Yakuza, she betrays her criminal lover and becomes pregnant by Masahai, a Japanese Yakuza. Her lover, Number 8 is suitably unimpressed and haunts her every move. He shoots himself in the foot to show what she has done to him and later returns to do the same to her in front of her daughter.

As Zen matures she watches the boys learning martial arts next door and develops skills honed to a special level since her senses work differently to other peoples. Played by Yanin “Jeeja” Wismitanant she is quite a powerful character, matching innocence with violence, naiveté with obsession. She is complemented by a range of other unusual but superbly inhabited characters including her Moom, a boy with a lesser degree of disability, and her Japanese father, Masashi (Hiroshi Abe). He is introduced in the film as a young boy strangely obsessed with imperfections and scars. Both Zen and Masahai are clearly “outsiders”, they are people whose perception of the world is very different from our own; this recurring theme of “otherness” shows an impressive insight into conditions ranging from Autism to Aspergers syndrome and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). However rather than focusing on these characteristics as disabilities, the film shows who individuals use them to their advantage in a world where life can be snuffed out by a single wrong move. They are also flawed characters; these are not “charming” folk with a disability. One is a Yakuza boss and the other is collecting loan sharking with menace; lots of it !! I especially like the way in which these characters are shown as “real”, sure they have disabilities, but they are just as screwed up as anyone else. Too often the Hollywood approach to portray the disabled as either victims or as saints, both rather condescending.

The film develops its true bite when Zin is stricken with cancer. Since Thailand has no medical support Moom and Zen uncover a notebook which shows a large amount of money outstanding to Zin from her earlier life as a gangster. To get her mother the funds needed for her treatment Zen turns into a warrior, fighting and collecting the cash needed.

Along the way she confronts all sorts of criminals, comes to meet her father and there is martial arts and fighting galore. Many have noted that many scenes are clearly homages to classic Bruce Lee and classic martial art films and these just make the film even more special. This is really a very innovative take on the martial arts genre; filled with blood, brutality and violence and yet with a heart as well.

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This review will appear in Volume 2 No.6 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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