Review: I think it may take a few screenings to soak in everything that The Taste of Things has to offer, but Tran Anh Hung has put together a singular viewing experience that I can’t wait to return to. Boasting its fair share of delicious imagery and culinary procedural moments, the movie depicts a decades-long romance between Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche.
Make sure not to watch The Taste of Things on an empty stomach, because the latest film from director Tran Anh Hung depicts the art of cooking about is delectably as any movie this decade. There are long, uninterrupted sequences that simply observe the act in its purest form, with dishes that you wish would leap through the screen and onto your dinner table.
And led by two carefully constructed performances by Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche, The Taste of Things garnered a lot of critical praise out of the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 – so much so that it unseated Anatomy of a Fall for France’s selection for Best International Feature.
And while The Taste of Things may not have claimed one of those coveted nominations, it still easily sits among the best international features released in either 2023 or 2024 (depending on how you classify it). The film overtakes the senses, while simultaneously delivering a heartwarming – and heartbreaking – experience. It lives in its own small pocket, rarely being confined to classical convention.
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The camerawork is really something to behold as Cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg uses simple camera pans and push-ins to observe the steps in each dish’s process. Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche both effortlessly come across as obsessives of their craft, and their drive and passion help carry the film to great results.
I grew up in a household of restaurant owners, and there’s been a recent surge in the industry of food-related content that I’ve quite often enjoyed. The Bear represents the best of this microcosm, but even a movie like The Menu represents this newfound interest of depicting culinary skills on the big screen. There’s an inherent cinematic quality to the process of crafting a methodical dish, and The Taste of Things unwraps this sensibility and puts it on display in beautiful fashion.
I think it may take a few screenings to soak in everything that The Taste of Things has to offer, but Tran Anh Hung has put together a singular viewing experience that I can’t wait to return to. Boasting its fair share of delicious imagery and culinary procedural moments, the movie deserves the praise it’s been getting.
Watch The Taste of Things (2023) on VOD here
The Taste of Things Movie Cast and Credits
Cast
Benoît Magimel as Dodin Bouffant
Juliette Binoche as Eugénie
Crew
Director: Tran Anh Hung
Writer: Tran Anh Hung
Cinematography: Jonathan Ricquebourg
Editor: Mario Battistel
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