The Taste of Things
If the opening sequence of The Taste of Things doesn’t get your mouth watering, you might want to schedule an appointment with your primary care physician.
In those moments and throughout Anh Hung Tran’s lovely 19th-century French period film, the director’s camera floats amidst the expansive kitchen of culinary master Dodin (Benoît Magimel, The Piano Teacher) as his in-house chef and lover Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) prepares an elaborate meal with help from their maid Violette (Galatéa Bellugi) and her visiting budding gourmand niece Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), yielding one sumptuous visual after another.
But following 15-20 minutes of gorgeous edible sights, one begins to wonder if the whole movie is a mood piece composed of similar imagery. While such an approach may very well have succeeded for the film’s 135-minute runtime, the plot soon kicks in as Eugénie exhibits signs of being unwell and the suspense of her health and its impact on life at the estate adds narrative depth to the tale.
But only so much depth: while the drama intensifies, The Taste of Things remains centered on a series of sourcing, cooking, serving, and eating meals with lovely people who love one another and don’t have time or interest in being cruel beyond a few polite criticisms regarding the excesses of certain others.
It all proves surprisingly effective and encourages viewers to become lost in a dreamlike world, one anchored by profound turns from Binoche and Magimel where only random, largely insignificant queries such as “What do Dodin’s friends do all day?” and “Where is that damn cat who keeps crying for help?” go unanswered.
“Why wasn’t The Taste of Things nominated for the International Feature Oscar or in the major categories?” is the real mystery, but as with some of 2023’s best films, it’s on the outside looking in. The snub in no way tarnishes its reputation, however, especially when viewed with food and/or drinks, as this is a film best enjoyed while engaging as many senses as possible.
Grade: A-minus. Rated R. Now playing at Carolina Cinemark and Grail Moviehouse
(Photo: Carole Bethuel/IFC Films)
