Hostility and Hospitality

(a small reflection on movie Chöcölat)

In the Chöcölat, there were two sides that are in conflict with each other. One side is represented by Vianne, Annouk, Armenda, Roux, and their friends. They belonged to the law breakers and unfaithful ones, but they lived in happiness and joy. The other side contains the mayor, the priest and most of the members of the town who were faithful and always go to the church. They are law followers, and even though they lived within the boundaries of the law and they aren’t free to do the many things they want and because of this they aren’t happy in their lives.

The two sides have their own extreme ways of life. The mayor and his groups live under the law of the church. But, they are bound by the law so that they can’t move freely. The mayor, as the ‘leader’ of the group, wants all the members of the town to join his way of life. In the beginning, he welcomes Vianne to his town. This act shows his hospitality. But, when he sees that his attempt shows no result, his hospitality turns into hostility. He tries to influence the entire town to enter into conflict with Vianne and her chocolate shop. At first, this seems to succeed. But, step by step, the members of the town begin to know that chocolate is delicious and there’s no reason to reject it. Then, it’s the beginning of Vianne’s victory.

The second extreme way of life is showed by Vianne’s life. Vianne and friends live freely and don’t want to go to church. She neglects the law of the church (mostly because of her ignorance) and opens a chocolaterie in Lent. But, she helps many people with her chocolates. An old woman finds happiness in her chocolaterie and renews her relationship with her grandson. A husband discovers his romanticism with his wife with Vianne’s chocolate. And old man finds his love with the help of Vianne’s chocolate. Vianne herself finds Roux as her love because of the chocolate. Her hospitality in accepting everyone helps her help many people in their lives.

For me, Vianne’s hospitality comes from her self-acceptance. She is able to accept herself as she is, her past, her background, her destiny. With this, she feels free to accept the other people come into her life and to help them. In contrast, the mayor isn’t able to accept himself, his disability, his failure (in family life) and so on. He tries to find other’s mistakes, not his. He is therefore unable to accept other people came to his life.

How can we turn our hostility into hospitality? By self acceptance. We must try to accept ourselves and this can transform our hostility into hospitality.

Both the mayor and Vianne express their charity in their own unique way. The mayor always reminds his people to do their duties. I think it is a good way to love others. The mayor has a good and pure intention; it is to help others to be faithful and not neglect their duties and responsibilities. His attempt to forbid Vianne from opening her chocolaterie shows his attention on his people. He doesn’t want his people being disturbed during Lent by the chocolaterie. But, this great charity is colored by his conflict with Vianne. It is this that makes his way of loving seems bad.

Vianne has her own way of loving; it is by accepting people as they are and as many as she can. To the people who come to her chocolaterie, she will welcome them. She gives them their freedom to choose what they want (for example their favorite chocolate) and to do whatever they wish. This way of loving doesn’t have any bad effect on anyone. Even the mayor at last realizes his mistake and Vianne’s good intention.

I reflect that in our way of charity, especially in our community life, we should combine these two ways of charity. To our friends, in our community, it is good to appreciate their freedom, their wish, and their will to do whatever they want. But, it is more important to remind them about their duties, their compulsory, and their responsibilities.