Be warned….....the opening sequence lasts

thirty-eight minutes!

 

The Taste of Things last year's French entry  for Best International Film at the Oscars is a gastro film but not of the Angry Male Chef  variety. It is not stressful or adrenaline-filled, no one swears or screams ‘sorry chef ‘; instead it is sensuous, languorous, soothing and as rich and deep as a consommé should be.

 

It stars Benoit Magimel as Dodin and Juliette Binoche as Eugenie. Dodin is a famous gourmet who appears wealthy enough not to have to work. Eugenie has been his cook for over twenty years as well as his lover (M & B were once a couple and have a daughter).

 

The inspiration for the film comes from a book published in 1924  La Vie et La Passion de Dodin Bouffant …Gourmet.

 

The French-Vietnamese director, Tran Anh Hung (you may recall his other films, The Scent of Green Papaya and Norwegian Wood) admits he hasn’t really adapted the book. In his own words, “it’s more a case of drawing very free inspiration from it. In the book there is some magnificent writing on the art of cooking and food. I’ve told a story which actually precedes the book; it’s a tale of love between Dodin and Eugenie but I also wanted to depict a parallel story where you also focus a lot on the art of cooking.”

 

If this film is about anything, it’s about pleasure, how to give it and how to receive it. How love can be communicated through the deep passions you might have …and can generously share.

 

The film will be introduced by Dr Sophie Belot, Senior Lecturer in Film and Screen Media at St. Mary’s University.

 

Annie Cartland (with assistance from

The Spectator)