DRIPPING IN CHOCOLATE

Australia, 2012, 90 minutes, Colour.
David Wenham, Louise Lombard, Chelsie Preston Crayford, Caroline Brazier, Geoff Morrell, Aaron Glenane.
Directed by Mark Joffe.

Dripping in Chocolate is a police investigation and murder mystery. It follows the expected patterns - with a detective who has experienced alienation in his life, the death of his wife from cancer which he couldn’t face, the separation and hostility of his daughter, his going into a detox program. He is also not particularly computer-literate, relying on his various assistants to do this kind of work. However, as played by David Wenham, with a mixture of the hardboiled and the sympathetic, he is an interesting character as we watch him go about his work, piece together the mystery, become interested in a woman who is an initial suspect.

The film is set in Sydney, some glimpses of the landmarks, as well as of the New South Wales coast.

British actress Louise Lombard portrays Juliana, who makes chocolates and has a rather extensive and exclusive clientele. When a wrapper from one of her chocolates is found on the body of a murdered woman, she becomes a suspect. However, the chocolates lead to all kinds of connections.

There are many issues and red herrings in the film. There is a political subplot, with Geoff Morrell as a womanising politician, and his jealous wife. There is a development of hotels subplot, including the politician, with the murdered girl as the advertising face of the new project. There is also an elderly uncle in a nursing home, problems about inheritance. There is also a subplot about a gym trainer, in a relationship with Juliana, but also in a relationship with the murdered woman. There is also a psychological subplot – the psychiatrist has both the murdered girl and the politician as his clients and uses a special kind of chocolate in part of his withdrawal treatment. A further complication is found when the murdered girl is pregnant.

However, the plot gets a bit out of hand at the end, the murderer being a bit of a wild card, the film becoming highly melodramatic and implausible at the end as the murderer threatens Juliana in the sea – but a rescue in time.

The film was directed by Mark Joffe who made a number of thrillers in the 1980s. In the 1990s he made a succession of very entertaining light films including Spotswood, Cosi, The Matchmaker, The Man Who Sued God.

1. An Australian police investigation? The crimes? Politics? Domestic issues? Business and development? Psychology and therapy? Inheritance themes?

2. Sydney, ordinary, yet the landmarks? Homes, shops, galleries, the cemetery? The coast? The musical score?

3. The plausibility of the plot, the number of subplots, red herrings, the solution, the high melodrama?

4. The title, Juliana and her work, the details of recipes and skills in making the chocolates? Her range of customers and orders? The order book and its importance? The range of chocolates? Bunny – the perky assistant? Photographing the corpse at the beginning? Her information for the police?

5. Celine, wandering, waiting for an appointment? The night? Her death? Finding out her identity? Her being seen on the billboards? A sex addict, her relationship with the psychiatrist, pregnant? Her home, Travis and his lies, his hitting on Celine, his setting up the surveillance? The videotapes? Her clashes? Saxon and his liaison with her? The politician and the affair? The psychiatrist? Her uncle, his will, the unknown cousin? The various strands coming together, the solution?

6. David Wenham as Bennett O’ Mara? In detox, the old-style detective, his being anti-fast foods, his being wary of chocolates? His dog, illness, getting the drugs – and the setup in his being photographed? The vet? Juliana and her helping with the chicken wings for the dog? His background story, his wife and her illness, her death, his being absent? The resentment of his daughter? Her forcing him to go to the cemetery? His professional skills, the scene of the crime, collecting evidence, his assistant (and his eating fast food, trying to hit on Riley)? Riley and her work? His intruding, his style? Meeting Juliana, at the shop, at the gallery? Her being under suspicion? At the house when the politician was murdered? Going to the police office? The chicken wings? O’ Mara and his attacking Juliana on the phone? The attraction? Her being wary?

7. Juliana, her story, her husband and the flashbacks, infidelity? The shop? Her customers? The psychiatrist? Going to his office? The uncle and the chocolates, Bunny and her writing the wrong word in the order book? Her relationship with Saxon? O’ Mara and his visits, her helping the politician’s wife, her advice, the wife setting her up, the murder of her husband? The connection with Celine? The chocolates for the uncle, his murder? Saxon and his interrogation and her watching it? Her bewilderment, going to the beach, Saxon joining her?

8. The politician’s story, opening the gallery, his affair with Celine, his addiction, the psychiatrist, his wife and her jealousy, the wife discussing matters and Juliana’s friendly advice? The wife inviting her to the meal – setting her up for the murder of her husband?

9. The uncle, his story, the visit, his being poisoned, his will?

10. Saxon, the relationship, the gym, with Juliana, with Celine, other women? The cross-examination? Juliana seeing it? His going to the beach house, Riley killing him?

11. The assistant, his jobs, the research, eating? Slow on the uptake? Riley, her advances to O’ Mara?

12. The gathering of the information, the truth about the will, the identity of the heir, O’ Mara and his driving through the storm, reaching Juliana just in time?

13. Riley, the order book, confronting Juliana, the confession, the various murders? Killing Saxon, going into the sea, pretending that Juliana was trying to kill herself?

14. The resolution of the mystery, the characters, the situations – and the high melodrama at the end?