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When mouthwatering Indonesian cuisine and romance are on the table, “Aruna & Her Palate” is a bouncy crowd-pleaser. Less tasty is the backdrop of a suspected bird flu outbreak that brings a food-loving epidemiologist into contact with her secret crush. Adapted from Laksmi Pamuntjak’s 2014 novel “The Bird Woman’s Palate,” “Aruna” manages to overcome its sometimes awkward ingredients thanks to crisp direction and appealing performances from a top-notch cast. Though unlikely to travel as widely as previous features by talented mononymous filmmaker Edwin “Aruna,” should benefit from exposure in the Culinary Cinema section at Berlin. The film received widespread critical support and performed Ok at the box office following a late September local release.

In breezy opening segments, Aruna establishes a warm and winning relationship with viewers by speaking directly to the camera. The device works splendidly, and it’s only a disappointment when it tapers off as the story proceeds.

Indonesian director Edwin depicts friendship and the lifestyles of the people of the age group of 30s with a food base spicy narrative in “Aruna and Her Palate”. The movie is adapted from Laksmi Pamuntjak’s novel of the same title which narrates food, friendship and conspiracy.

There are four main protagonists in the movie. Aruna (Dian Sastrowardoyo) is a single woman who works for an Ngo is passionate about food. Nad (Hannah Al-Rashid) is a food critic who wishes to author a book. Buno (Nicholas Saputra), is a chef and he likes to cherish and discover authentic Indonesian cuisines. Three of them are assigned to investigate the cases of bird flue in parts of the country. And in the mid of the investigation, enters the fourth character Farish (Oka Antara), who is inquisitive about the life of Aruna and keeps a watch on her. The four characters are very different.