Chocolate Girl: A messy, charming trip back in time

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you probably shouldn't watch Chocolate Girl if you need a story that makes perfect sense from start to finish. It is a loose, sometimes confusing collection of scenes that feels like a home movie shot with a much bigger budget than it probably had.

But if you like old, weird cinema where the kids look like they’re actually having fun instead of reciting lines from a script? You might find something here to like. If you're the type to get annoyed by loose ends or pacing that just… stops, stay away.

The whole thing has this weirdly specific energy. It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in Bashful Whirlwind, where you’re just kind of along for the ride, whether you signed up for it or not.

Notes from the couch

• The framing is all over the place. Sometimes it’s tight, sometimes it feels like the camera guy just got bored.
• Tomio Aoki has this look on his face in the second act that I still can't figure out. Is he tired? Is he bored? Is he acting? Who knows. 🍫
• The street scenes feel authentically cluttered, unlike the sterile sets you see in Timothy's Quest.

There is a sequence about halfway through that just lingers on a group of kids running around. It goes on for about 40 seconds too long. It’s not 'cinematic.' It’s just… life. It’s awkward, and I kinda loved it.

The dialogue? Don't expect poetry. It’s mostly people shouting over each other. It sounds a lot like the chaotic banter in Pawnshop Politics, where the words are less important than the sheer noise of the environment.

Maybe it’s not a 'great' film. It’s definitely not polished. But watching these people move through these frames, you get the sense that they were filming something they actually cared about, even if it didn't come together perfectly. 📽️

It’s messy. It’s uneven. It’s definitely not going to be for everyone. I’m still not entirely sure why I watched the whole thing in one go, but I’m glad I did.