When cooking meets love, a symphony of emotions is born that envelops the spectator like an intoxicating perfume. “The Taste of Things”the new film by Trần Anh Hùng, is an ode to culinary passion and the subtle nuances of human feelings, masterfully interpreted by Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche.
Set in 1885, the film follows Eugenie’s storyplayed by Binoche, an impeccable cook who has worked for over twenty years for the famous gastronome Dodin, played by Magimel. Their partnership has given rise to delicious dishes that have amazed even the most illustrious chefs in the world. As time passed, the practice of food culture and mutual admiration developed into a romantic, albeit unconventional, relationship.
A love as thin as a silk thread
Eugénie, fond of her freedom, never wanted to marry Dodin. This refusal, however, did not affect their deep bond. In a bold and romantic gesture, Dodin decides to cook for Eugénie, an act that represents the pinnacle of her devotion and the love he feels for her. Magimel and Binochealready a couple on the set of “Children of the Century” in 1999, they recreate a silent but overflowing alchemy, who struggles to stay harnessed. Their interpretation transcends words, conveying subtle and profound emotions through eloquent looks, gestures and silences.
Trần Anh Hùng, a Vietnamese naturalized French director, wraps this love story in smooth camera movements which make us witnesses of the miracle of culinary creation. The scenes in the kitchen are true works of art, told with an abundance of detail that celebrates the sounds, flavors, warm colors and tasty images of the preparation and plating of the dishes. The act of cooking becomes a sacred rite, an expression of love that finds its own maximum expression when Dodin decides to cook for Eugénie. Hùng constructs this moment with obsessive care, not only because it represents the main scene of the film and the turning point of the protagonists’ stage destinies, but because It symbolizes a pure, simple and beautiful feeling which incorporates the image until it shines through in the eyes and hearts of the spectators.
In addition to love and culinary passion, “The Taste of Things” explores a wide range of human emotions. The wait for a love that grows over a slow and low flame, Eugénie’s desire for freedom, absence, pain, death and the impossibility of expressing herself in culinary art when deprived of her own purpose. Magimel and Binoche embody these emotions with such depth and intensity that they leave us breathless. Their performances are a masterpiece of subtraction, where every gesture, every look and every silence take on a profound meaning.
“Il Gusto delle Cose” is a film steeped in beauty and poetry. Every shot is a work of art, every camera movement an ode to grace and elegance. Hùng immerses us in a world of care and attention, of small moments, of laughter, silence and tears, of flavors remembered and others to be decanted. The director reminds us that the true taste of things it doesn’t just lie in food, but in appreciating every moment of life, every emotion, every nuance of human existence. It is an invitation to slow down, to breathe, to enjoy the small daily joys without rushingallowing them to grow and mature like a fine wine.
“Il Gusto delle Cose” is a tribute to auteur cinema, to the kind of film that fills us with happiness and gratitude towards life and the world around us. It is a refined, delicate work, which requires patience and attention from the viewer, but which repays with an emotional depth and unparalleled visual beauty. Presented in competition at Cannes 76, where it was awarded the Prix de la mise en scène, and freely inspired by “Le Vie et la Passion de Dodin-Bouffant, gourment”a 1924 novel by Marcel Rouff, and to the figure of the French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin active in the first half of the nineteenth century, “The Taste of Things” is a cinematic gem that deserves to be appreciated and celebrated.
A celebration of love and life
In a fast-paced and chaotic world, “Il Gusto delle Cose” reminds us of the importance of stopping, of savoring the beauty that surrounds us and to celebrate love in all its forms. Whether it is love for cooking, for a person or for life itself, this film invites us to live every moment fully, to nourish our passions and to let ourselves be guided by the most subtle and profound emotions.
With Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche as guides, we immerse ourselves in a sensory and emotional journey which leaves us with an unforgettable taste on our lips and in our hearts. “The Taste of Things” is an incredible cinematic experience, an ode to beauty, passion and love in all its nuances.
