Hunger

This is a film of two halves - unfortunately, these two halves belong in different movies.

The first half has the tone and feel of scabrous satire, clearly wanting to deliver social commentary. Here we are skirting really, really close to the same territory explored by The Menu. The second half discards this and, instead, mimics the dynamic and arc of Wall Street - only with restauranteurs. Which is a shame: the first half was visually arresting and had the potential to be both provocative and interesting. The second half less so.

This is another one of those movies which cause me to scratch my head: what did this want to be? What does the film maker imagine this film to be about?

If you're interested in writing, film-making or whatnot, there is such a thing as the elevator pitch. You're in a lift with some hotshot producer. You've got until those elevator doors ping to pitch your movie. This film, alas, fails that simple test.

Thai thriller film produced in 2023. This is the second food master movie this year after The Menu. Working in a small family restaurant of their own, the girl cook applies to work for the country's most famous chef, hoping to become a great chef. After the application, he passes the screening, but over time he sees that the job is not at all as he hoped, and that he does not take part in human emotions such as pity, emotionality and compassion on the way to the top.

The movie is about 2 and a half hours, but it is watched with interest. It does not bore the audience, on the contrary, it makes the audience feel the tension it aims at. The story of the chief cook is really nice. There is also the main idea that the artistic meals made here are not meant to satisfy hunger. At the last summit, the size of the price to be paid to be permanent is explained.

There is no sex or nudity in the movie.

I was shocked after watching this film. Obviously the film on the surface is about cooking, kitchens etc, and then on the next level down it becomes about greed, snobbery and privilege. How far are we willing to go to get what we want and what is meaning of it all?

But there is another level to this movie which left me feeling sick to my stomach. And it's not because of blood or gore. It is more to do with the way that the whole world is going, in a biblical sense the worshipping of false idols that in the end prove to be wrong. The way that we are being led by our greed and jealousy, into a place that is as far from reality as you can get.

But thankfully the film does pull it around in the end and gives mankind a glimmer of hope.

The Thai food movie that's a mix of "The Menu" and "Whiplash" is somewhat similar in some ways, but it's not entirely a copy because it has its own storyline. The story is about a middle-class girl who dreams of elevating herself in high society by showcasing her cooking skills. However, her successful recipe doesn't make her as famous as she expected, and the villainous chef is straightforwardly evil. The characters lack depth in the latter part of the movie, turning it into a typical good vs. Evil scenario, leading to a happy ending that's too easy and predictable. Darker viewers may be slightly disappointed, but overall, the movie is enjoyable, with the lead actor charmingly portraying the role, making the viewers engaged in every scene. There are many beautifully shot cooking scenes, and the production value is high. It is the first Thai movie on Netflix that feels like it has reached a high international standard.

This film is a commentary on socioeconomic class-divide through food, but not your typical "wow, that's fancy looking food" kinda movie from the food-drama sub-genre.

Plot Aoy (Remember the actor from Bad Genius?), who runs a family noodle shop, wants to be 'special', wants more from life. But how far is she willing to go to become a famous chef? Can she handle everything that will come the fame?

Take Social commentary can sometimes feel too preachy, either the rich or poor side can be made to seem very villainous, but I thought it was fairly balanced here. While there is nothing mind-blowing here, the satire and drama were balanced. Good acting by everybody and also well shot. It's a slow-burn of sorts but the film has a message, that....is thought-provoking, to say the least.