"Dodin" (Benoît Magimel) and "Eugénie" (Juliette Binoche) have a synergy in the kitchen that creates mouthwatering and innovative culinary treats for their friends. She does the cooking, he more the design; she shuns the limelight, he is more gregarious - but it's a professional relationship that has worked well for the last two decades. It's probably fair to say that they are both a bit slow off the mark, but gradually now their relationship begins to become one of a more personal, intimate, nature but she is still uncertain. How to win her round? Well he starts to prepare delicacies to tempt both her palate and her heart. The path of truth love never runs smooth, though, and soon their dynamic is facing a testing time that will likely see unwelcome change for all concerned. What I actually liked about this film is that there's not a great deal of dialogue. It looks great and the two actors genuinely convince as they prepare their gourmet dishes using ingredients and techniques that are way more fascinating than the unfolding drama between their characters. You can almost smell the food! It also doesn't shy away from some of the culinary curiosities of rustic French cuisine, so be prepared for a few dishes that might not do for your appetite what they do for those on screen, but by two hours in I found myself genuinely invested in what I was watching - and very glad I'd eaten first. Cooking is an art form; so is good cinema - we get both here in abundance.
Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
“The Taste of Things” is a romantic drama that’s also a historically accurate period film about food. Set in 1885, this is a slow moving love letter to the art and style of French cuisine, and director Anh Hung Tran takes great pleasure in his celebration and joy of all things gastronomy.
Famous restaurant owner Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) has relied on his esteemed personal cook Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) for over two decades, admiring her natural culinary talents and creating inspired dishes alongside her in his palatial home’s kitchen. Since the pair have spent so much time together sharing the same stove and an unyielding passion for food, they’ve grown quite fond of each other. The feelings that have developed between Dodin and Eugénie are a bit complicated, and his marriage proposals have always been quickly dismissed by the freedom-loving woman who has no intention of any sort of romantic commitment. But as they grow older, Eugenie may be finally warming up to the idea.
It’s a sparse and simple love story that’s mostly about food. The first twenty minutes of the film show nothing but the characters cooking and preparing dishes in the kitchen. There’s no musical score, just the sounds of a kitchen like the sizzle of a sear, the rattle of an iron skillet, the bubbling of boiling water, and the rhythmic chop of a knife. This is a film that’s comprised mainly of cooking and eating scenes, aimed at foodies who will inherently have a greater tolerance for watching a repetitive cycle of cook-eat-savor-repeat. It’s not boring, but it does feel indulgent.
As would be expected in a film about cuisine, the food is drop-dead gorgeous. The culinary artistry and food photography is gorgeous and mouthwatering, and everything from the saucing to plating is done with a beauty and precision that honors traditional techniques. The characters cook everything from the fanciest to the most simple dishes, which drives home the idea that these aren’t food snobs, but true connoisseurs.
The casting is spot-on, and it’s delightful to see a story that seamlessly blends the romance between food and people that features more mature actors. Binoche and Magimel make a charming and believable pair, and you’ll hope they do finally end up together in marriage.
“The Taste of Things” is lovely, but in order to get the most satisfaction and enjoyment from the film, it helps to have a love and appreciation for food that runs deeper than the average person.
By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS
There's a club of truly great food films, the ones that understand cuisine as metaphor, as love language, as cultural memory: Eat Drink Man Woman, Ratatouille, Tampopo, Big Night, Like Water for Chocolate, and Fried Green Tomatoes, just to name some tenured films. La Passion de Dodin Bouffant aspires to join their ranks, and while it certainly looks the part, it arrives with a script that has, ironically, no meat on its bones.
This is a visually sumptuous film. The period piece tonal quality is exquisitely accomplished; the kitchen scenes glow with warm, amber light, each dish prepared with meticulous attention to texture and color. Director Trần Anh Hùng clearly reveres the craft of cooking, and his camera lingers lovingly over every reduction, every carefully plated creation. As a study in atmosphere and aesthetic beauty, the film succeeds completely.
Juliette Binoche is utterly delicious in her role as Eugénie, the lover who steadfastly refuses marriage. She brings warmth, intelligence, and a quiet stubbornness to the character; watching her move through the kitchen, you believe entirely in her mastery, her artistry, her independence. She and Benoît Magimel generate genuine chemistry, the kind that comes from years of shared ritual and unspoken understanding.
But somewhere beneath all this beauty, the film needed something more substantial to sink your teeth into. The great food films understand that cooking is never just cooking; it's about family fracture, cultural identity, ambition, survival, connection. Here, the thematic underpinning feels too thin, the emotional stakes too muted. We watch beautiful people prepare beautiful food in beautiful rooms, and it's pleasant, even meditative, but it doesn't linger the way a truly great meal does.
This is a handsomely crafted film that satisfies in the moment but leaves you wanting something richer, something with a much more complex tongue.
