Vianne is the 100% best female protagonist in any movie I've seen in a long time. Her role in the movie is to unite and heal the village through her kindness which is represented in her chocolate. The village, as a whole, undergoes a character arc which is most noticeable in the film. Armande is able to bond with her grandson, which helps him be able to experience the world away from his mother's rule, Guillaume finally gets together with the widow, Josephine escaped her abusive husband, Reynaud is able to stop his harsh rules and give into life with Caroline. Vianne's chocolate shop acts as a entry way for her to be social and almost meddle in the townspeople's lives. In the shop, she usually does the following:
1. The Cook
Vianne will "lure" people into the store innocently though her cooking. This reminds me of The Hundred- Foot Journey when Hassan's father would stand outside his shop and ask people to come in. This act of pulling in customers off of the street, as shown through Hassan's family's journey, is a very un-french thing to do. The townspeople are very meek and usually try to politely decline, but as soon as Vianne gets the villagers to taste the food, their eyes and minds are opened. Vianne has earned their trust though her act of kindness of sharing her chocolate and now she can move on to her true purpose in the town...2. The Healer/ Shaman
Vianne's background in the story is perfect. Her father was a medicine man, healing the French, and her mother was a traveler who's tribe worked with chocolate in their shamanism. Vianne is able to relate to the townspeople though her father's side (she looks french/ speaks french no hint of foreign influence physically.) but her mother's side comes out though her chocolate shop. Her cooking, just like in Like Water for Chocolate, is a direct line to her mother and her culture. She uses her chocolate to heal. For example, Vianne gives chocolate to one of the women in the town who is having a loveless marriage, and after the husband eats the chocolate it is solved. Another example is when Reynaud starts to destroy the chocolate and when he finally has a taste, he is able to see his strict ways are not working and is more open to what others input on others.The most interesting example of Vianne's healing is though Josephine. Eating the chocolate is nice, but that does not fix Josephine's problem with her drunk husband. The act of making chocolate is what gives her freedom and the confidence to leave her husband. Vianne is able to show her a different way of thinking and helps Josephine heal from her past by helping Vianne in the shop. Vice versa, I believe the townspeople helped heal Vianne. Not in the mystical way Vianne is able to heal others, but they have showed her a sense of stability and family that she did not have growing up. She only had her mother who took her away from her father at a young age, which I see has jaded Vienne to jump from town to town, leaving before anyone could get close to her. The idea that she needed to travel to share her chocolate was a facade to hide her weaknesses, which might hinder her healing of others. Overall, the town needed Vianne as much as Vianne needed the town.
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