France, 1897. Georges, a.k.a. Footit, is a white clown in a traveling circus who’s struggling to reinvent himself. He comes up with the idea of teaming with Katanga, a black clown who is the son of a former slave. As a white clown acting as a figure of authority with the black clown as a scapegoat, they enjoy immediate success. So much so that Katanga, renamed Chocolate, and Footit, are offered a lucrative contract by Joseph Oller, the director of the New Circus in Paris.
Chocolat becomes the first black artist of the French scene and he celebrates his success by living life to excess. He soon develops a gambling addiction, which places him in an unfortunate position. Following a police check, Chocolate, who doesn’t have any papers, is thrown into prison. In his cell, he fraternizes with Victor, a subversive writer from Haiti, who makes him aware of racism. The feeling of being exploited and misjudged brings Chocolat down.
Roschdy Zem raconte le destin tragique du clown Chocolat, premier artiste noir à s’être produit sur une scène française à l’orée du XXème siècle. Un grand et beau rôle pour Omar Sy, qui réalise une superbe performance.
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