The Taste of Things, a foodie film review

 

I live on Planet Pattie. I’m comfortable here. I choose what to let in and what not to let in. In addition to being a lover of food, I also have a passion for plants, books, and fine film and TV viewing, the large majority of it foreign. Recently, someone posted online that if something has subtitles, they don’t consider it worth watching. My response was that unless something has subtitles I don’t consider it worth watching. Different people like different things. That was an exaggeration, of course, but only a slight one. My guess is that 75% of the things I watch are foreign productions.

 The recently released French film, “The Taste of Things,” based on the book, The Passionate Epicure by Marcelo Rouff, was recently brought to my attention. It was one of those films, like “Amadeus,” that I intended to look in on for a minute or two to see if I would like it, and didn’t move from my spot until it reached its conclusion, and this film is two hours and 15 minutes long! As much as I loved it, I do realize that it is not for everyone. My aunt who was not as enchanted as I was with “Enchanted April” would hate this film because she would find it slow. I found it captivating. I felt as though the film had completely absorbed me, and that I gradually became part of the setting.

Photo: theasc.com

It takes place at the end of the 19th century. Juliette Binoche plays Eugenie, the cook and sometimes lover of gourmet chef Dodin, a couple who have been together for 20 years. Over the course of those 20 years, Dodin has proposed to her numerous times, each time she has turned him down, preferring their culinary partnership over a romantic one.

In and of itself, the film is simple. What makes it so extraordinary is the cinematography, the long leisurely look at all of the luscious food that is being prepared long before modern conveniences, like digital kitchen scales, refrigeration, and microwaves. At the beginning of the film, the camera dwells on each aspect of an incredible meal being put together. It was like watching a ballet, seeing how all of this so beautifully and gracefully went from a table full of ingredients to a fantastic meal. I generally don’t pay attention to lighting in films, but this was remarkable. It was as though the lighting was another character.

In my opinion, this is the best foodie film ever made, and I have seen all of them. If you lean toward that type of film, you owe it to yourself to have a look at this one. The performances are magnificent. The food so sumptuous I could almost taste it right along with the actors, whose facial expressions depicted the gloriousness that they were devouring.

Photo: theasc.com

 As a rather interesting side note, lead actors Binoche and Benoit Maginel were, at one time, real life husband and wife. I’m not sure if that helped to enhance their performances or not, but they were wonderful. It’s a beautiful film, and certainly deserves your attention. It’s available for purchase or rent on Amazon, or if, like me you subscribe to Acorn TV, it’s available for streaming. There’s even a cookbook of dubious integrity.

 I highly recommend this exceptional film.

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