The Taste Of Things (The Pot Au Feu) (La Passion De Dodin Bouffant) (12A)

Gastronomic connoisseur Dodin Bouffant has cultivated a reputation as "the Napoleon of culinary arts" thanks to his enduring partnership with his cook Eugenie. She instinctively interprets his recipe ideas to the delight of Dodin's close-knit circle of friends. Eugenie rebuffs her employer's marriage proposals, fearing the relationship will change with rings on their fingers. Instead, Eugenie focuses on nurturing a girl called Pauline with an extraordinary palate and concealing her fainting fits.

LondonNet Film Review

The Taste Of Things (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

A great meal never begins with the taste, even if you are dining in the dark. The appearance and aromas of the food usually kickstart the sensory intoxication followed quickly by taste and texture as flavours dance invitingly across the palate, hopefully sparking joy as the chef intended. Director Tran Anh Hung‘s delicate period romance feeds that mouth-watering journey with a beautiful opening sequence…

With merest morsels of dialogue, The Taste Of Things glides around the sunlit kitchen of a late 19th-century French country estate as two cooks and an assistant choreograph movements perfectly to prepare a gastronomic tour de force worthy of a MasterChef final. Cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg allows our eyes to feast on courses of oven roasted veal, turbot poached in milk and a puff pastry crown heaving with crayfish and vegetables enrobed in a glossy cream sauce. By the time the first course, a consomme, arrives at the table to orgasmic whimpers of appreciation, we know the characters and their intimate bonds.

Benoit Magimel and a radiant Juliette Binoche are elegantly paired as the gourmand and his private cook, who behave as husband and wife without needing rings on their fingers. Their farm-to-table courtship is delightful, heightened by tableaux of tasteful buttock and breast nudity that liken the curves of the human form to the luscious flesh of syrup-soaked fruit. Anh Hung‘s script showcases the finest ingredients behind and in front of the camera without any sense of unnecessary urgency. Emotions simmer gently and we leave the cinema both completely nourished and ravenous.

Wealthy gastronomic connoisseur Dodin Bouffant (Magimel) has cultivated a reputation as “the Napoleon of culinary arts” thanks to his enduring partnership with his cook of more than 20 years, Eugenie (Binoche). She instinctively interprets his recipe ideas in the kitchen to the delight of Dodin’s close-knit circle of friends including local doctor Rabaz (Emmanuel Salinger), Grimaud (Patrick d’Assumcao) and Magot (Jan Hammenecker).

“I converse with you in the dining room through what you eat,” Eugenie assures the men when they plead for her company at the table. She rebuffs Dodin’s marriage proposals, fearing the relationship will change if they formalise the current arrangement. Instead, Eugenie focuses on nurturing a girl called Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) with an extraordinary palate and concealing her occasional fainting fits from the master of the house.

Based on Marcel Rouff’s novel The Passionate Epicure, The Taste Of Things is an intoxicating tale of companionship and culinary passion that builds to a bittersweet final bite. Away from the stove, Anh Hung‘s picture shows restraint and rhapsodises the communal experience of food in poetic dialogue. “The discovery of a new dish brings more joy to humanity than the discovery of a new star,” swoons Dodin. Truly delectable.

– Kim Hu