Star Omar Sy (INTOUCHABLES) dazzles us again in a true story, the Belle Époque saga of France’s first black performer.
A slave, Rafael Padilla escaped to France in the late 19th century, becoming a star with the Nouveau Cirque, in Paris, under the name Chocolat. He frequently partnered with a clown, Foottit, in a racist act. Interestingly, James Thiérrée (Foottit) is the grandson of the greatest clown of them all, Charlie Chaplin, in real life.
Director Roschdy Zem adapted Gérard Noiriel’s biography of Chocolat, faithfully tracing the rise and fall of this great performer, from unknown actor to clown superstar to fallen hero of the stage, as he descended into gambling, drinking and womanizing.