Lasse Hallström

Created and directed by Oscars nominee Lasse Hallstrm - Hilma explores the enigmatic life of Hilma af Klint (1862-1944), whose unconventional and highly spiritual art remained fairly unknown for decades. Today, she is recognized as one of the Western world's first abstract artists, an achievement made even more impressive by the male-dominated artistic scene that surrounded her.

When Quoyle was a young boy, his father, Guy (John Dunsworth), tossed him into a lake, expecting him to swim naturally. Images of flailing in water and nearly drowning often resurface in Quoyle's memory when he is under stress. Many years later, a 40-year-old Quoyle (Kevin Spacey), works as an ink setter at a small newspaper office in Poughkeepsie, New York. He lives a lonely life. He becomes infatuated with and marries a vivacious local woman named Petal (Cate Blanchett). Petal is an unfaithful wife and a negligent mother to their six-year-old daughter, Bunny (Alyssa, Kaitlyn and Lauren Gainer), whom she leaves on a daily basis with a local babysitter named Grace (Katherine Moennig) to carry on extramarital affairs. Petal runs off with a boyfriend, taking Bunny with her. Soon after, Petal and her boyfriend are killed in a car accident. The police return Bunny to Quoyle, informing him that Petal sold her to a black market adoption operation for $6,000. Shortly before those events, Quoyle's elderly parents commit suicide together. Quoyle's aunt, Agnis Hamm (Judi Dench), arrives to pay her respects to her late brother, though her real motive is to steal Guy's ashes (which she later dumps down an outhouse hole and urinates on). Agnis is moving to the ancestral family home in Newfoundland, Canada, which has been abandoned for 44 years. Agnis agrees to stay a few more days to help Quoyle through his recent turmoil, then persuades him to move to Newfoundland with her. While struggling to build a new life for himself, restore the derelict house, and care for Bunny, Quoyle meets Wavey Prowse (Julianne Moore), a widow whose young son, Harry, has a learning disability. Wavey and Quoyle gradually develop a deepening relationship. Wavey eventually admits she pretends to be widowed, ashamed that her philandering husband left when she was pregnant. Quoyle learns that the ancient Quoyles were pirates that ran ships aground and savagely pillaged them. When those Quoyles were driven out, they moved their house over a frozen lake to its present location, now known as Quoyle's Point. Quoyle's cousin Nolan (Marc Lawrence), an old hermit, reveals that young Agnis was raped and impregnated by her teenage brother Guy (Quoyle's father), resulting in an abortion. Quoyle applies for an ink setter job at the the local newspaper Gammy Bird. Owner and publisher, Jack Buggit (Scott Glenn), instead hires him as a reporter covering auto wrecks and the town's shipping news. With no journalism experience, Quoyle struggles to produce decent articles, incurring managing editor Tert Card's (Pete Postlethwaite) constant scorn. Reporter Billy Pretty (Gordon Pinsent) tutors and encourages Quoyle. When Quoyle's article about a millionaire's vintage yacht docked in town is popular with readers, Jack assigns him a weekly column profiling an interesting boat in port. Meanwhile, Agnis resumes her former occupation as a boat upholsterer to help support the family. She later confides to Quoyle that a woman she loved and had a long-term romance died six years earlier from leukemia. Rather than running his newspaper full time, Jack Buggit commercially fishes to prevent his adult son, Dennis (Jason Behr), who nearly died at sea, from obtaining his own commercial license, which are limited. Jack drowns while securing his boat in an oncoming storm. During the funeral wake at the Buggit house, shock and chaos erupts when Jack miraculously revives from a coma-like state caused by hypothermia. Jack gives Dennis his fishing license, believing the generational curse of Buggits dying at sea has been broken. After Jack's revival, Bunny is upset and angry at Quoyle, believing Petal could also have been "awakened," but she finally accepts her mother's death. Agnis, Quoyle, and Bunny have been living in town during the winter months while their house is renovated. On the night of the big storm, Bunny awakes and can "see" the house at Quoyle's point being blown away. When the family drives to their property, they discover the house is gone, symbolically freeing them from the dark Quoyle legacy.

Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche), an expert chocolate maker, drifts across Europe with her 6-year-old daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol). Together, they follow the North wind. In the winter of 1959, they travel to a tranquil French village Lansquenet that closely adheres to tradition, as led by the village mayor, Comte Paul De Reynaud (Alfred Molina). In the village everyone knew their place and what was expected of them. And people kept an eye on each other, just in case they strayed from the expected path. Vianne opens a Chocolate shop just as the villagers begin observing the forty days of Lent, much to the chagrin of Reynaud. Vianne and Anouk stay in the apartment on top of the chocolate shop. Vianne has been to Andalusia, Vienna and Athens in the past among other places. Vianne works very hard to clean the shop, apply a fresh coat of paint, draw murals on it, and to curate her chocolates. Vianne curates her products from a 2000-year-old Mayan recipe. Vianne, who wears more provocative clothing, does not go to church, and has an illegitimate child, does not fit in well with the town's people, but is nevertheless optimistic about her business. Her friendly and alluring nature begins to win the villagers over one by one. Vianne uses a Mayan spinning wheel to determine the personality of her customers and offers them chocolates as per what she thinks they would enjoy and like. Reynaud, who will not admit that his wife has left him, speaks out against Vianne for tempting the people during Lent a time of abstinence and self-denial. Rivet (Michèle Gleizer) is Reynaud's house maid. Vianne offers Yvette (Elisabeth Commelin) a box of chocolates as an aphrodisiac and Yvette tries it on her husband Alphonse (Ron Cook). Alphonse is a lazy man, and an alcoholic. But eating the chocolates arouses the passion in him and they have amazing sex. The next day Yvette buys Vianne's entire supply. Audel (Leslie Caron) is a village widow whose husband died in World War I. Guillaume Blérot (John Wood) carries a long-time yearning for Madame Audel. Françoise "Fuffi" Drou (Hélène Cardona) is a beauty shop proprietor and rents her shop from Reynaud. Renaud bad mouths Vianne all over town, and when Vianne hears of it, she confronts him. Reynaud promises her that she would be out of business by Easter. Vianne tells Anouk the story of Vianne's father Georges (Arnaud Adam) who ran a Pharmacy. In 1927, Georges went to Central America and learned the medicinal properties of chocolate from a Mayan tribe. Mayans believes that Cacao had the power to unlock hidden yearnings and reveal destinies. One of the first to fall under the spell of Vianne and her confections is Armande (Judi Dench), her elderly, eccentric landlady. Armande laments that her cold, devoutly pious daughter Caroline (Carrie-Anne Moss) will not let her see her grandson Luc because she is a "bad influence". Armande says that Caroline has forgot to live life since the death of her husband. Vianne arranges for Luc and his grandmother to see each other in the chocolate shop, where they develop a close bond. Caroline later reveals to Vianne that her mother is a diabetic, though Armande continues to indulge in the chocolate despite her condition. Caroline works for Reynaud as his PA at the office, and Reynaud has a crush on her. Vianne also develops a friendship with a disturbed woman, Josephine (Lena Olin), who is a victim of brutal beatings by her alcoholic husband Serge (Peter Stormare). After a particularly brutal blow to the head, Josephine leaves her husband and moves in with Vianne and Anouk. As she begins to work at the chocolate shop and Vianne teaches her craft, Josephine becomes a self-confident, changed woman. Under the instruction of Reynaud, Serge seemingly changes into a better man, and he asks Josephine to come back to him. Finally happy and fulfilled, Josephine declines. A drunken Serge breaks into the chocolate shop later that night and attempts to attack both women before Josephine, in a moment of empowerment, knocks him out with a skillet. As the rivalry between Vianne and Reynaud worsens, a band of river gypsies camp out on the outskirts of the village. While most of the town objects to their presence, Vianne embraces them, developing a mutual attraction to the gypsy Roux (Johnny Depp). Together they hold a birthday party for Armande with other village members and gypsies on Roux's boat. When Caroline sees Luc, who came out secretly to go to the party, dancing with her mother, she begins to see how rigid she is with her son and that his grandmother's influence in his life may not be a bad thing. Vianne also brings Audel and Blerot together. After the party Vianne, Josephine, and Anouk all sleep on the boats, where Roux and Vianne make love. Late that night, Serge sets the boat where Josephine and Anouk are sleeping on fire. Both escape unharmed, but Vianne's faith in the village is shaken. Also, that night, Luc returns to his grandmother's living room to see that she has finally died from complications of diabetes, devastating both him and his mother. After the fire, Roux packs up and leaves with his group, much to Vianne's sadness. Reynaud initially believes the fire was divine intervention until Serge confesses to starting it, saying he thought it was what Reynaud wanted. Horrified, Reynaud orders him to leave the village and not to come back. With the return of the north wind, Vianne decides that she cannot win against Reynaud or the strict traditions of the town and resolves to move to another place. Anouk, now attached to the town, refuses to go, and during a scuffle, the urn containing Vianne's mother's ashes breaks, scattering them over the floor. While recovering the ashes, Vianne goes into her kitchen to see most of the townspeople, who have come to love her and the way she has changed their lives, making chocolate for a festival Vianne had planned on Easter Sunday. Despite the major change in the town, Reynaud remains staunch in his abstinence from pleasures such as chocolate. On the Saturday evening before Easter, Reynaud sees Caroline, to whom he is attracted, leaving the chocolate shop and is devastated. On the Saturday evening before Easter, he opens the chocolate display and destroys the various confections with a knife. When a small piece of chocolate lands on his lip, he gives into the seduction and devours the chocolate before collapsing into tears and eventually falling asleep. The next day, Vianne promises not to reveal what happened, and a mutual respect between them is established. Reynaud apologizes for his behavior. Père Henri (Hugh O'Conor), the town's young priest, gives a sermon emphasizing the importance of humanity over divinity. The narrator, a grown-up Anouk, reveals that the sermon and festival are a success. Reynaud and Caroline start a relationship half a year later. Josephine takes over Serge's cafe, renaming it Café Armande. The north wind returns, but this time Vianne throws her mother's ashes out into the wind. Anouk concludes the story: Roux returns in the summer to be with Vianne and Anouk.

Grace King Bichon (Julia Roberts) is married to Eddie. Grace is not very close to Eddie and the couple together are not very romantic. Every morning, they discuss the tasks on the "to-do" list for that day, like they are having a business meeting. Grace tends to be absent minded and sometimes would even forget to pick their daughter Caroline from home when she is supposed to be taking her. She helps out at her parent's horse farm during the day. Their daughter Caroline loves horses. Caroline wants to ride a horse during the upcoming Grand Prix, but her grandfather Wyly insists that she is still young and needs to ride a pony. Their stable manager Hank wants to ride the horse Ransom in the upcoming Grand Prix equestrian championship, but Grace's father Wyly plans to buy a stud named Ford for $150K (& ride it himself in the event) and not enter Ransom in it, as he doesn't have a good feeling about it. Grace is upset with the decision as Hank is likely to quit if he is not allowed to enter with Ransom in the competition. Wyly wants Hank and Ransom to wait another year for their chance at the trophy. Grace discovers (while driving Caroline back home from school) that her husband, Eddie (Dennis Quaid), is having an affair with another woman. Grace returns home to find a message on the machine from Eddie saying that he would be in a client meeting till late. By 11 PM, Grace loses all patience and takes Caroline with her to look for Eddie. They find Eddie's car outside a pub. Grace was still in her nightdress. After a wildly public confrontation with Eddie and his mistress, Grace packs up their daughter Caroline "Doodlebug" Bichon (Haley Aull) and returns home to her parents' Wyly King (Robert Duvall) & Georgia King (Gena Rowlands) horse farm to regroup. Grace stays with her sister Emma Rae, who has a separate cabin at the horse farm, different to where Wyly and Georgia stay. To her surprise and dismay, everyone around her is still mired in old fashioned ideals. Wyly admonishes Grace for going around publicly in her nightdress, with Caroline in the car, bringing shame to the family. Georgia exclaims that Eddie slipped and that can happen in the happiest of marriages. Wyly also says that they are involved in a real estate deal with Eddie and his dad and cannot afford to antagonize him. Wyly wants Grace to make up with Eddie, but she refuses flatly. Wyly says that Eddie is a caring father and a good provide and that is hard to come by. Grace, usually submissive around her father, finally gets the courage to stand up to her father. Grace also doesn't allow Eddie to meet Caroline, as she says that she had kept her with Aunt Rae (Anne Shropshire), who hates Eddie to begin with. Her sister, Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick), who is furious at Eddie and lets him know it, is also unwilling to let Grace pretend this has come out of nowhere (Eddie was known as the Hound Dog back in college and Grace knew it), or that she did not make choices that led to her current predicament. Grace tries to convince Hank to stay back, but he is determined to leave once the event is over. Meanwhile Wyly starts to practice with Ford but is not able to get a good control of the horse. The trainer of Ford, named Jamie (Brett Cullen), feels that Wyly is controlling it too much and not letting it do its thing. Jamie tells Grace that Wyly needs to trust the horse as the horse knows what it is doing. Grace attends a society ladies meeting and learns that Eddie had sex with another friend of hers. Grace starts to reveal everyone's hidden secrets about how they all cheated with each other's spouses. Jamie has gone through a divorce himself, and Grace starts to like him. Emma encourages her to date him. Eddie, too, confronts Grace about her withdrawal from their life, and his feelings of abandonment after what started out as an affectionate, loving marriage. Eddie says that he never thought Grace would say yes to his marriage proposal. On the advice of a meddlesome neighbor, Grace invites Eddie for a dinner and serves him fish with a low intensity poisoned sauce. Just as Grace starts to understand Eddie's point that Grace stopped wanting Eddie after Caroline was born, the poison makes Eddie sick and Grace rushes him to the hospital. Georgia confronts Grace about her life falling apart but Grace pushes back saying that Georgia never did anything when Wyly cheated on her with Anne-Pritchett, many years ago. Georgia is hurt, she goes back home and locks Wyly out of the house. Eddie decides to file for divorce through his lawyer Jack. Jack encourages Eddie to fight dirty and instead he decides to back off. Emme and Grace head to a bar and get hammered. Emma leaves with a guy and Jamie offers to drop Grace back home. Grace agrees to a nightcap with Jamie. Grace agrees to have sex with Jamie but can't as she keeps picturing Eddie. Jamie accepts that Grace is not yet ready to move on from Eddie. At the equestrian event, Caroline performs on her pony Possum. She wins her category. Grace ignores Wyly and enter Hank and Ransom into the competition against Wyly and Ford. Grace also quits her father's farm and decides to complete her vet studies. Hank makes a perfect run with Ransom, but Wyly drops a bar and comes 3rd, while Hank wins. Wyly is gracious in defeat and Georgia forgives him and they reconcile. Wyly agrees to have Jamie ride Ford the following year. Grace hears that Eddie met a mean divorce lawyer and is alarmed. Grace confronts Eddie at the celebration dinner, and Eddie responds by sharing a lively dance with Grace. Eddie reconciles with Grace, but she says she wants to become someone that she herself is proud of and that she doesn't want to blow this chance away. Grace enrolls in college and starts dating Eddie again.