Set in the Loire Valley in 1889, this sensual historical romance follows the life of Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel), a celebrated gourmand living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie (Juliette Binoche). The pair share a long history of gastronomy and intimacy; she lovingly translates, executes and often elevates his visionary recipes. When Eugénie falls ill, he decides to pull out all the stops and cook a magnificent meal for her. Together—mostly in a gloriously lit country kitchen—they distill time, love, passion and taste, savoring life’s moments with all of their senses. Director Tran Anh Hung won Best Director at Cannes for this lavish cinematic feast inspired by Swiss novelist Marcel Rouff’s 1924 classic The Passionate Epicure. The digestif? The meals they prepare are actually being cooked in front of the camera. A FilmColumbia23 selection.
“You’d swear that you could smell, touch and, yes, taste the meals that are being prepared on screen before you. It’s like an epicurean magic trick.” — David Fear, Rolling Stone
“Tran might well have painted The Taste of Things, its luminosity is so immediately attractive.” — Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times
Anh Hung Tran
Marcel Rouff, Anh Hung Tran
Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger
French
France, Belgium