Warning: Don’t see this film hungry! Delicious shots of delicious food in a luscious landscape fill the French romantic drama THE TASTE OF THINGS but it is the perfect Valentine’s Day movie, particularly if you are a foodie, or a romantic. A visually luscious film starring Juliette Binoche, the story centers on two people who express their love for each other and for fine food, by cooking together. Set in 1889 in an old rural manor house, THE TASTE OF THINGS creates a beautiful dreamworld in the French countryside where the abundance of the land provides all they need. THE TASTE OF THINGS is a feast for both the eyes and the hungry heart, with the bonus of the Oscar-winning Juliette Binoche. It was the official Oscar entry for France.
It all begins in the garden, of course, where cook Eugenie (Juliette Binoche) is harvesting vegetables for the day’s meals. Back in the kitchen, she is joined by Dodin (Benoit Magimel), the gourmand owner of the manor house, and the two immediately set to cooking, side-by-side and nearly wordlessly, as equals, with the ease of long familiarity.
The large country kitchen looks like something out of period still-life paintings, with gleaming copper pots, big cast iron stoves, well-worn wooden tables, and the garden’s produce arranged in pleasing vignettes around the kitchen. Eugenie has worked for Dodin for decades, and they work together seamlessly, like long-time dance partners moving through familiar but beloved routines. Dodin has been in love with Eugenie for years, and although the two are lovers as well as partners in the kitchen, she has steadfastly refused his offers of marriage. Why she refuses is not entirely clear, but maintaining her sense of independence maybe part of it.
Eugenie’s assistant Violette (Galatéa Bellugi) has brought her young niece Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) into the kitchen, a girl interested in learning to cook, and as Dodin and Eugenie work, Dodin explains to science behind the art of cooking – gastronomy. The newcomer gives us the chance to learn about cooking techniques, but Dodin’s regular dinners with his four gourmand friends allow us to listen in on their conversations as well, which often touch on the history of gastronomy. In these lively discussions, we hear about the evolution of French cuisine and the traditions of fine dining, and a great deal about the famous chefs Antonin Carême, who helped create French cuisine, and Auguste Escoffier, who followed a generation later, and whose book on French cooking is the chef’s bible to this day.
Dodin’s and Eugenie’s life of delicious meals in lovely rustic settings, surrounded by friends, is interrupted by a health scare, as Eugenie experiences alarming fainting spells, which prompts worried Dodin to redouble his pleas to her to marry him. Eugenie waves off both the proposal and concerns about her health, saying she feels fine. Dodin, determined to make her rest and hoping to woo her, does something he has not done before. He cooks for her, and even serves her, bringing her dish after delicious dish.
The story is deeply romantic but with its bittersweet side, and the film further charms us with its lushly green landscapes, stately old stone house, and wonderful exploration of the art and science of haute cuisine against a backdrop of friends gathered around the dining table. The romantic story and its idyllic historical setting soothes us, and immersion in their world of the kitchen, with the tidbits of French culinary history, completes the magical spell the film casts. Juliette Binoche is wonderful as the middle-aged cook, a down-to-earth woman who is still a true artist in the kitchen. Her scenes with Benoit Magimel are delightful, and the two actors have wonderful chemistry (and the pair do have an romantic history). Handsome Benoit Magimel is charming as Dodin, a man who loves everything about food and the culinary arts, almost as much as he loves his cook with whom he shares the joy of cooking.
This lovely film is so immersed in everything French that it is a bit surprising that the director, Tran Anh Hung, was not born in France. The director was born in Vietnam but has lived in France since 1975, and studied filmmaking in Paris at l’École Nationale Louis Lumière. His most recent film, before this one, was the French-language ETERNITY (2016), starring Audrey Tautou, Berenice Bejo and Melanie Laurent.
In addition to director Tran, the film also has a gastronomic director, Pierre Gagnaire, which is pretty much essential in a film so much about the love of fine cooking. The film has no music, except at the very end, but the soundtrack is filled with the sounds of cooking – the sizzle of meat in the pan, the chopping of vegetables, the crack of eggs, and the bang of spoons and whisks in those gorgeous copper metal pots.
THE TASTE OF THINGS is a perfect relaxing escape for foodies, romantics, and Francophiles, with the great Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel whipping up romance and gourmet dishes in a classic French country manor setting. Although there is some heartbreak
, it is hard to imagine a more perfect Valentine’s Day date movie drama.
THE TASTE OF THINGS, in French with English subtitles, opens Friday, Feb. 9, in theaters.
RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars
