This film does bring up several topics worthy of discussion, yet as it does, it refuses to confront any of them. For example, the issue of censorship, which seems to be about half of the focus of Francis' narrative, hardly gets resolved. The homophobic punks seem to be, at best, a plot device; even the love affair between Maggie and Kim, our main characters, seems clouded in the mysteries of infatuation. We get to see very little of what makes them fall in love so quickly or what causes their fights. We get to see very little of the three characters despite the fact that they seem to be the main focus of the film.
On the other hand, Lila, who doesn't even arrive until about twenty minutes into the film, seems to take over the narrative and become its focus, despite the tenacious presence of Maggie and Kim. In Lila, and her relationship with June, we get the most developed and interesting character in the film. Hers is a story of change, growth and acceptance. It is almost as if her transformation from "superego embodied" to a more balanced superego/id relationship is the transformation the film hopes we all can make.
In learning to accept herself as a sexual being, Lila opens herself up to the joys of womanhood that the film proclaims with blaring trumpets and battery-powered devices. What is most interesting is that her most important moments of growth happen in her relationship to the transsexual June (formerly Jeremy). The anger-management scene in which they throw paint cans at the wall is great. By the end of the film, it seems clear that Lila has grown and found a new peace with the more open sexuality of her daughter and her friends.
Better than Chocolate seems, to me, to fall on the 'all is happy' side of things rather than on the 'all is sad' end of films about sexuality. This is not to say that the entire film is happy - there are some very sad moments, times at which each of the characters is very alone. On the other hand, these moments seem, to me, to be the kinds of moments that are worked into the plot to provide conflict. We can't have everyone happy at the end if they were happy for the entire film. Aside from its questionable plot tactics, this film is quite enjoyable in all its narratives, be it as a story of young lovers, of a boy discovering alternate sexualities, of two people who have a lot to overcome trying to make love work, or of a middle-aged woman discovering her sexuality for the first time.