The Taste of Things

Absolutely glorious, an epicurean love story, meandering, slow but purposeful - definitely a critics film - won't be for everyone.

It was a immensely beautiful film. I was entranced the entire time. I loved it!!

Long and slow moving, with a very thin and stretched out story interspersed between large sections of cooking, eating and discussions about food. The film begins with a 20 minute sequence where the characters calmly and quietly cook an entire meal with minimal dialogue. It is very artistic and sensual, with focus on the visuals and sounds. The film makers turn up the volume on the sound of food being chopped, chewed in the mouth, and the chef’s disturbingly heavy breathing which sounds as though he would suffocate in his sleep. In short, it was completely boring.

Based on Dodin-Bouffant, created by Swiss author Marcel Rouff in his 1924 novel La Vie et la passion de Dodin-Bouffant, gourmet (The Passionate Epicure), Trần Anh Hùng's French submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature simmers with epicurean delights as a love story of the gourmand and his culinarian with the French haute cuisine they prepare as their language of love.

Simply put, a beautiful movie.

La réalisation et le jeu des acteurs est impeccable. Le film est une ode à la tradition culinaire française, durant lequel sont concoctés une liste fournie de plat emblématiques. En toile de fond la relation entre Dodin et sa cuisinière est plutôt classique. Au final, on passe un moment qui n'est pas désagréable avec une belle esthétique, mais c'est un peu tout.

The lightning, the cinematography, the sounds & images of the food and the cooking. All great. Good film with not much of a story, but focused on the kitchen totally, with some kind of a love story around it

Beautiful cinematography, but weird sound effects (the sound of strong wind, and not a leaf moving in the garden). The most boring movie I have seen living memory, and just so looooong.

Very slow ,and at times boring .

The Taste of Things is a beautiful ode to food and the cooking of. It's a feast for the eyes, in many ways, a sumptuous and delicious film. Set on a French country estate in 1889, it features Dodin, a gourmand, and Eugenie, a cook who works for him. They have been in partnership for 20 years and also have a romantic relationship. But they have never married and sleep in separate rooms. The film opens with both preparing an elaborate meal for a group of Dodin's friends. It's a long extended sequence of food preparation as we view the love and dedication involved. Dodin and Eugenie spend countless hours discussing food and the inherent beauty with in. This film takes its time, the camera moves slowly around long scenes of cooking, eating and conversation. It's infused with light, focusing on the beautiful food made. It's beautifully acted too, with Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel superb in the lead roles. Nineteenth century France saw the burgeoning of gourmet restaurants and this wonderful film shows the beginning of that movement with a fair amount of grace and beauty.