Final Rating: 3.5/5
If you were to look at my YouTube viewing history, you’d see a few things; videos on Super Smash Bros Melee, Magic the Gathering and the latest highlights of the Jacksonville Jaguars. But probably the biggest genre of videos in my feed are cooking and food related videos. From Claire Saffitz to Joshua Weissman, J. Kenji López-Alt to Ethan Chlebowski, Munchies to Eater. And of course the man who’s made a culinary universe off of adapting foods from our favorite films and TV shows, Andrew Rea’s Binging with Babish. There’s a comforting quality to these videos for me. The almost ASMR-esque quality of hearing ingredients being prepared and the dictated instructions and tips and tricks make for a comforting work environment on par with any lo-fi Hip Hop stream.
With that in mind, it should be no surprise that one of the films I prioritized getting tickets for at the New York Film Fest was The Taste of Things directed by Tran Anh Hung. Now this was before the somewhat surprising revelation that France would be submitting it for its selection for the International Feature Oscar over Anatomy of a Fall. I can’t comment as to whether I think it was a good choice or not without having seen Anatomy. But on its own merits, The Taste of Things is certainly an enjoyable film, especially for food lovers everywhere.
The first twenty to thirty minutes of the film follow the creation of an elaborate multi-course meal in a countryside French manor, starting with the selection of herbs and vegetables from the garden. From there, in the 1885 kitchen with no running water or electric stoves cook Eugenie (Juliette Binoche) and her staff simmer broth, roast lamb, braise flounder, reduce sauces and more. Often with the help of the master of the house Dodin Bouffant, played by Benoit Magimel. It was such a feast for the eyes that I honestly started to regret the fact that the only thing I had eaten since dinner the night before was a hot dog. Definitely not a smart choice to come in on an empty stomach.
This is perhaps my bias as someone on a bit of a cooking journey since the pandemic, but it was gratifying seeing the attention to detail paid to the process of cooking. Shots lingering lovingly over the fresh ingredients. The fact that they used copper pots and pans, which are generally more pricey but also favored amongst French chefs. Of course the technique of how they put together this lavish meal all made my foodie heart melt. With the supervision of six Michelin star chef Pierre Gagnaire as culinary consultant, it would be. Beyond that, the care put into the rustic yet functional kitchen served as the heart of the film – open to the fields outside, spacious yet efficient within. As we see the sunlight coming in, changing color over the course of the day, the steam from the stock pots catching the sunbeams – it feels like a place where magic happens.
The film’s runtime is more than two and a half hours of food preparation. The movie explores food in all the ways it is important to us as humans. As a symbol of scientific achievement, which Dodin’s friends note when they marvel at a Baked Alaska. As a connection to the land and the ingredients as they trek out to one particular farmer who raises chickens just so. As a form of expression of one’s wealth, as they find out during an eight hour meal with a visiting dignitary. As a hope for the future, as they seek out apprentices to train up. And of course, as a form of love.
After all, Eugenia and Dodin have a twenty year relationship in the kitchen – him dreaming up new dishes and her bringing them to life. You don’t have a relationship that intimate and that long without feelings developing, and our two lead actors certainly show that chemistry. And without getting into spoilers, the film also explores food and its relationship to loss and grief.
Of course, much like that somewhat overdone menu the visiting dignitary presented Dodin and friends, this film can feel a bit bloated at times. While it explores these themes, it certainly takes its time getting to them, without a real strong narrative plot to maintain rapt interest throughout. Which doesn’t help the problem of the ending coming somewhat abruptly, which might be a minor nitpick on my part, but not showing the titular “Pot au Feu” (the original English translation that also is referenced throughout the film) being made feels like the story ended because they ran out of runtime.
Pacing issues aside though, The Taste of Things joins the pantheon of other great cooking films such as Ratatouille, Eat Drink Man Woman, Chef, and The Hundred-Foot Journey. As a film by itself, I would probably give it a 3 out of 5, but if you have any appreciation at all for the art of cooking, this bumps that up to a 4. And at the very least, it inspired me to try making my own pot-au-feu for dinner the night I watched, which I consider a win.
The Taste of Things was seen during the New York Film Festival.
