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Cinema and cooking, as we know, represent a combination that works, but very often culinary-themed films are purely commercial in nature and are not remembered as truly noteworthy artistic experiences.
This is not the case with “The taste of things”, the new film by Trần Anh Hùng which was awarded at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for best director. The feature film by the Vietnamese naturalized French director, in fact, is a truly fascinating product, especially for the staging, thanks to refined and elegant choices that best enhance the story told.
Set in France at the end of the nineteenth century, “The Taste of Things” focuses on two characters: Eugénie, an exceptional cook, who has been working for the famous gastronome Dodin Bouffant for several years. The great complicity, inevitably present between the two, is also the basis of a strong loving and passionate feeling, especially on Dodin’s part. The chef decides to surrender to the evidence and asks his partner several times to marry him. Eugénie has always rejected her proposals, seeing marriage as a threat to her freedom. To win her over, Dodin decides to do something he had never done before: cook for her.
The taste of things” and the other films of the week
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“The Life and Passion of Dodin-Bouffant, gourmet”
Based on the novel “La Vie et la Passion de Dodin-Bouffant, gourmet“, written by the Swiss Marcel Rouff in 1924, “The taste of things” is a decidedly unconventional film, where the entire rhythm is dictated by the movements in the kitchen and the The camera seems to dance as it follows the various chefs in action. Between long shots and details of the preparations, the film unfortunately flows, jamming in some moments due to various verbosities, but still manages to be magnetic and fascinating thanks to the general care of the direction.
Binoche and Magimel in a state of grace
Trần Anh Hùng thus returns to the levels of his most important works, those which in the 1990s led him to an Oscar nomination for best foreign film (“The Scent of Green Papaya” in 1992) and the Golden Lion at the Mostra of the Cinema of Venice (“Cyclo” of 1995). In an era in which even gastronomic-themed television programs are moving faster and faster, “Il gusto delle cose” is a praise of slow-fire cooking, a film that takes its times to show how the combination of flavors and colors can generate real works of art. In this imperfect melodrama (not all the parts are incisive at the right point) but full of passion, a real added value are the two main performers, Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, who give life to an extraordinary acting duet and one of the most intense of the entire film season.
The rapture
Another novelty in the cinema, which had its first public screening at last year’s Cannes Film Festival (at the Semaine de la critique, to be precise), is “Le ravissement”, a film by Iris Kaltenbäck with Hafsia Herzi. French actress plays the role of Lydia, a midwife who loves her job and dedicates herself to it with great passion. A serious unexpected event, however, will awaken traumas within her that will risk making her lose control of her life. It is certainly an interesting first work by Iris Kaltenbäck, a director whose passion is felt in following her life with the camera. hero. At the basis of the film there is a very delicate theme such as that of motherhood but, despite some undoubtedly immature passages, the debut author manages everything with good sensitivity. Perhaps some truly incisive sequences are missing that can be remembered at the end of the viewing, but for being a first work we can largely be satisfied.