THE TASTE OF THINGS / LA PASSION DE DODIN BOUFFANT (2023) - Movie Review

Director: Anh Hung Tran
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger, Galatéa Bellugi, Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Writer: Anh Hung Tran
Runtime: 135 min
Rated: PG-13 for some sensuality, partial nudity and smoking.
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Synopsis:

Set in France in 1889, the film follows the life of Dodin Bouffant as a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie. They share a long history of gastronomy and love, but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the food lover decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.

Review:

"The Taste of Things" made headlines before the 2024 awards season for being France's submission for the Oscars international-feature race over "Anatomy of a Fall". The latter ultimately ended up winning a lot of awards, including an Oscar for Original Screenplay, while the former never managed to nab an Academy Award nod. Both films left a strong impression at last year's Cannes Film Festival, with "Anatomy" winning the Palme D'Or, and "Taste" taking home the trophy for Best Director, then their paths diverged. I was convinced I would watch Anh Hung Tran's film and say to myself "Yes, they should have submitted 'Anatomy of a Fall' to the Academy", but to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed "The Taste of Things". I'm not going to compare the two films and say one is better than the other, because they're so radically different no such comparison can be made.

Inspired by the character Dodin Bouffant created by Swiss author Marcel Rouff in his 1924 novel "La Vie et la passion de Dodin-Bouffant, gourmet (The Passionate Epicure)", the film is a passionate study of life, love and the exquisite culinary experience. This trifecta is focused through the lens of our two protagonists, Eugénie and Dodin, played by Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, and Tran uses the deep passions that drive them to paint a unique and vivid portrait of two people in love. The food and the process of cooking it becomes a symbol of their relationship, a means of expression and a shared intimacy.

Both Binoche and Magimel are mesmerizing, sharing incredible chemistry on-screen. Fun fact: the actors first met on the set of the 1999 period epic "The Children of the Century" ("Les Enfants du Siècle") fell in love, had a daughter, but broke up five years later. Binoche in particular has some deeply emotional moments that make me wish she had received more awards attention for this performance. I also have to mention a breakthrough turn from 13-year-old Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire who plays a young culinary apprentice with a precocious palate that determines Dodin and Eugénie to take her in and teach her all about the magical world of excellent cuisine. She's not in the movie for too long, but leaves a lasting impression.

The cooking in this movie is an otherworldly experience. It's so glamorously shot and exquisitely choreographed that you get an immediate sense of all the passion, dedication and skill that goes into what is essentially an art form. A word of advice: don't watch this movie on an empty stomach. But it's not just the food that gets an impressive visual treatment. No matter if the scene is taking place in a candle-lit interior our outside in the lush green of summer, it's all beautifully photographed. Here's another Oscar this movie should have been nominated for: Best Cinematography. It's definitely better than what I've seen in "Killers of the Flower Moon" or "Maestro".

I think I could call this movie a feel-good experience. It's a celebration of life and its complexities that feeds the mind and heart while tingling all the senses. It might feel overindulgent here and there, but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it's perfect just the way it is. I don't know much about the films nominated for the International Feature Academy Award this year, but perhaps this one deserved a nomination. I can certainly see why France's Oscar committee selected it, and I honestly can't fault them. It is a seductive movie that leaves an incredibly pleasant aftertaste.

SCORE: 10/10