The Taste of Things: Film Review
Make sure you eat before you watch The Taste of Things (originally titled The Pot Au Feu) because it showcases some of the most sumptuous-looking meals I’ve ever seen onscreen.
The film, set in France in 1885, stars Juliette Binoche as Eugénie, who has served as the cook for the famous gourmet Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) for the past 20 years. Over the years, their mutual love of food has evolved into romantic love. But Eugénie has always been fond of her freedom and has always resisted marrying Dodin. To prove just how much she means to him, Dodin does what he’s never done before – he cooks for her.
The Taste of Things opens with an extended sequence set in a kitchen. There is relatively little dialogue and you don’t know much about the characters but it is fascinating watching Eugénie and Dodin execute his rich, extravagant, multiple-course menus with the help of two assistants, Violette (Galatea Bellugi) and Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire). As a hopeless cook myself, I couldn’t help but marvel at how effortlessly they pulled it off. I felt like I was there, smelling all the food as they came out of the stove. It all looked so good and I wanted to try it!
Naturally, the highlight of the film is the gorgeous cooking scenes. They all serve a purpose and help push the story forward. This film is a great example of showing not telling – we learn so much about their relationship by watching them cook. After all, the narrative is focused on people who love food and each other and use cooking to express their feelings.
Binoche and Magimel lead a mouth-watering romance told through the prism of food. Make sure you eat first!
In cinemas from Wednesday 14th February