The Taste of Things

Greetings again from the darkness. I do not cook and have never had an interest in learning to. Still, I do understand how some are drawn to it as an art form ... creating new dishes and new flavors, while generating such pleasurable sensations across the palettes of others. It's a passion like many professions (or hobbies), and it's one that is best shared with others.

This is the first film from writer-director Anh Hung Tron since 2016, and he has adapted the popular novel, "The Passionate Epicure" by Marcel Rouff. An extended opening scene (30 plus minutes) features a camera weaving in and around the activities in a kitchen where a gourmet meal is being prepared. Chit-chat does not occur. These people know their work and go about preparing multiple dishes precisely, meticulously, and expertly. Specific timing is the only thing requiring spoken language. Despite this, we learn much about these folks.

Juliette Binoche (Oscar winner, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, 1996) portrays Eugenie, the cook to gourmet chef Dodin, played by Benoit Magimel. Dodin periodically takes leave to mingle with guests, while Eugenie finds pure joy in her task at hand. Two assistants Violette (Galatea Bellugi) and Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) work efficiently and quickly. Pauline is young and relatively new to the kitchen, yet she possesses a preternatural taste palette and flavor instincts, while Violette is a long-trusted staffer. As viewers, we are in awe of the precision and coordinated efforts that go into preparing world class dishes.

As the film progresses, we learn Dodin has proposed marriage to Eugenie many times over the years. She has always turned him down, choosing instead their kitchen partnership as well as occasional evening soirees in her room (when the door is unlocked). This arrangement works for her and has made him famous in the culinary world. Love and respect exists between the two, and he worries about her too-frequent fainting spells and light-hearted moments. Their conversation one evening after work tells us all we (and they) need to know. As for their backstory, given Eugenie's mentorship of Pauline, we can't help but wonder if maybe Dodin had once recognized such rare talent in Eugenie some twenty years past.

This is a film, and these are performances, meant to be savored every bit as much as the dishes we see prepared and the garden Eugenie tends. It's a delicate world that requires precise movements and commitment ... just as any relationship. We can all strive to find the joy and satisfaction on display here, despite knowing that these types of connections will at some point lead to loss.

In theaters on February 14, 2024.

I am, I admit, a Crocodile Dundee cook - you can live on it, but it tastes like s*** Nevertheless, I revere those who are masters in the gastronomic arts.

Set in the 1870's, this film is a hymn to the pleasures of the table. The camera lingers lovingly over every pot and pan, every ingredient, every procedure, to the extent that it would have been wrong for the film to have been in any language but French. Anyone who can watch this film without salivating has no soul.

The plot is secondary to the food. Dodin (Benoit Magimel) is an expert, though amateur cook, whose hobby is hosting dinner-parties for a group of friends. For twenty years, Dodin has employed Eugenie (Juliette Binoche) as his cook, though she's far more than that. They sleep together, though she repeatedly declines his offers of marriage. Both performances are nigh-on perfect. There's also a young girl, the daughter of a neighbour, who has superlative taste-buds, and who wants to be taken on as an apprentice.

There's a bit more plot than that, including a comic dig at those who equate excess with excellence, but everything is subordinate to cooking and eating - and the actors do actually eat the food. One thing that grates with me is films where people don't actually eat the food in front of them.

I left the cinema hungry, and wishing that I had the patience and the dedication (and the time) to cook like that.

Oh, and though I grudgingly accept that, with the possible exception of the Chinese, the French are the finest cooks on Earth, I draw the line at ortolan.

Cooking is a huge part of my life. I dream of a kitchen like the one in the movie where everyone could cook together. I also dream on having enough time to have cooking as a lifestyle! I'm the happiest when I'm trying nicely cooked meals. That movie spoke to me in so many levels. The love story, how romantic! The girls helping out, the girls eating the same food as the adults and learning to enjoy it. The style of the filming. Now I wish all cooking tv programs were like that, you watch the magic happening without the nonsense of the narrative from a presenter. I watched in French with Spanish subtitles so I missed some of the storyline and yet, it moved me to tears!

A leisurely, luminous portrait of love, culture and cuisine, The Taste of Things is a feast for the eyes. It's all about partnership through a shared passion, conveying feelings through fewer words and baked Alaska. With such deep themes and beautiful visuals, no wonder it's France's selection for this year's Academy Awards.

The Taste of Things is a tough movie to summarize. It's about so much more than its plot... but here goes. The film takes place entirely in a 19th century French manor, mostly in its warmly-lit, wood-accented kitchen and centers on the bonds between the characters. Dodin Bouffant (Benoit Magimel), an esteemed gourmet partly based on real-life gastronome Jean Brillat-Savarin, oversees the meal, helps with the cooking and visits with his group of friends. His partner in the kitchen, Eugenie (Juliette Binoche), beams as she whips up dozens of French culinary marvels. They have two assistants, who seem more like daughters, the teen Violette (Galatea Bellugi) and her niece Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire). This scene unfolds each day for years. The film follows Dodin's and Eugenie's romance as it evolves from unspoken partnership to marriage to separation by illness, as well as how the younger members of the kitchen grow.

Director Tran Anh Hung opens The Taste of Things with a 38-minute long tracking-shot scene of the characters preparing an intricate meal with zero technology (it is the 1880s, after all), relishing every step of the way. I found it so satisfying to watch that I didn't pay any heed to its length, though this may not be the case for some viewers, as the only lines said are "Put the veal in the oven" and a couple directions like this. I actually enjoyed getting to know the characters by watching what they do and observing their body language. There's many more scenes like this one, none 38 minutes long, though. The film does have a bit of a languid pace, which takes some getting used to and might not suit some viewers' taste (pun intended). The few events that happen outside the kitchen happen either in the bedroom, in the living room or the adjacent garden. On another note, Dodin and Eugenie's relationship is a centerpiece of this film, and Magimel and Binoche as Dodin and Eugenie spellbind with their subtle yet powerful acting and palpable bond. Dodin has proposed to Eugénie a number of times over their 20 years together, to no avail. She says marriage is not right for them, because their bond is one of mutual respect and tenderness. The openness with which they discuss love is rare in modern films, as is their clarity on the matter - truly a mature romance. Additionally, the interactions between Binoche and Chagneau-Ravoire as Pauline are a delight to watch. Pauline's passion for food is shown in a scene where she names each of the two dozen items in a dish and when she nearly cries after tasting a baked Alaska; Eugenie sees herself in the young girl and takes her under her wing. Jonathan Ricquebourg's mouth-watering and skillful cinematography - tracking people as if walking beside them, sometimes peering into pots, and sitting at the same table as Dodin's "suite" of friends - along with Tran Anh Huang's careful direction adds an indescribable realism to the film. It's a film that will make you hunger for more.

The Taste of Things is a film about indulgence - in food, in love, in family. It also shows viewers that truly powerful relationships are those that transcend labels and that are bound by shared love for one another and, in this case, a shared passion. It shows viewers that food is inextricably tied to love, life and joy. Be forewarned that the film does contain scenes with partial nudity and smoking.

I give The Taste of Things 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. The Taste of Things releases on February 9, 2024 in theaters and is an Oscar nominee. By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST!

This is an exceptionally slow burn ( only in the allegorical sense , as they don't actually burn any of the food )

The aesthetics are mesmerizing and the presentation of the food was enough to make me hungry, even never having eaten French food in my life and being extremely picky . It was a love letter to food , to cooking , to art , to patience and to a lifestyle that no longer exists .

The natural feeling was amazing as well , these were good people , trustworthy people , people you want happiness for and want to win and that was all developed in the first scene , with no dialogue which is amazing filmmaking .

Another major shout out goes to the sound editing / track . The sound of the garden and the kitchen felt so real and added to your closeness so the characters , their lives and the food itself .

It's very very slow , it's very foreign , it's an art film and it's meant to develop at a snails pace . Appreciate that . Be ready for that and you'll love it. .