The Taste of Things

The Taste of Things

Set in France in 1889, the film follows the life of Dodin Bouffant as a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie. They share a long history of gastronomy and love but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the food lover decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.

  • Released: 2023-12-29
  • Runtime: 134 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Romance
  • Stars: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Patrick d'Assumçao, Emmanuel Salinger, Jan Hammenecker, Frédéric Fisbach, Galatéa Bellugi, Yannik Landrein, Sarah Adler, Jean-Marc Roulot
  • Director: Tran Anh Hung
 Comments
  • sjh-16 - 26 June 2024
    Gastro porn on steroids
    Yes, the acting is great and the cinematography and set design are sumptuous (one outdoor scene looks straight out of a Renoir painting). But about 60% of the film consists of scenes of people preparing or eating food, with little or no dialogue (and little or no character development or plot advancement). There are also unnecessarily long scenes of people walking down corridors or in the garden. The central romance is interesting and could have been far more developed if more time had been devoted to it. I got bored of seeing so many dishes prepared - establishing the characters' devotion to preparing and enjoying fine food could have been done in 1/4 of the time, with the rest of the film devoted to fleshing out the threadbare plot. A great film for foodies (someone should publish a recipe book for all the featured dishes) but too much of a slow-burn for me.
  • martinpersson97 - 4 May 2024
    Masterful, artistic drama
    This incredible and ever acclaimed drama, by a superb director, and part of the Swedish initiative Cinema Pass, showcasing some incredible and indepth filmmaking, is indeed very much one that lives up to its immense hype.

    The actors all do an incredible job, conveying subtletly, emotions and everyday life splendidly, very career defining, low key and beautiful, and the script accompining them is excellent, very unique, focused on the art of cooking, and very well written and paced.

    The cinematography, cutting and editing is incredible, very beautifully put together and showcasing some stellar imagery. Very much in line with the director's style.

    Overall, definitely a highlight of the year, and very much recommended for any lover of film!