The Taste Of Things Is One Of The All-Time Best Films About Food
At the intersection of interests for cinephiles and foodies lie great movies about food. Films like "Big Night," "Ratatouille," "Babette's Feast," "Tampopo," and "The Trip" movies occupy a special place in the stomachs — er, minds — of viewers, and I'm pleased to report that another movie has instantly catapulted into that hallowed pantheon.
"The Taste of Things," from director Trần Anh Hùng, received a limited theatrical release earlier this year for awards consideration (it's the French contender for Best International Feature at the 2024 Oscars), but it won't actually receive a bigger release in the United States until February of 2024. Still, for those who vibe with the types of movies I listed above, this will be a major event at the movies. And aside from being only a great movie about food, it's also a great movie, period — it's technically one of the best of 2023, but even if you don't play by the Academy's rules and consider this a 2024 release, I seriously doubt there will be many movies next year that will top this one.
Set in France in the 1880s, "The Taste of Things" appears to be a somewhat simple story about an excellent cook (Juliette Binoche) who has had a long working relationship with an equally excellent gourmet chef (Benoît Magimel) that bubbles over into a full-blown romance. But it's more about the meals they make together, the act of artistic creation, and the thrill of being in a relationship with a partner who speaks the same creative language you do. It's a gorgeous piece of work, and yes, all of the meals are filmed in mouthwatering fashion. You can practically smell the food emanating from the screen as you watch it.
The Taste of Things uses food as an expression of love
There's a scene in "The Bear" season 2 in which one character lovingly makes an omelette for another who is at the end of her rope, and the reception of that omelette and the care that went into its creation is almost enough to move the recipient to tears. Without giving away any major plot details, "The Taste of Things" is also about how cooking for someone else can be one of the most personal expressions of love there is. It's like that scene from "The Bear," but exponentially more romantic. You'll be seeing this pop up on "best food movies" lists from now until the end of time, so be sure to circle February 2024 on your calendar and seek this out as soon as you get a chance.
I spoke about this movie with /Film editor Ethan Anderton on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:
We also talked about other movies we've been catching up on as the year comes to an end, including "Saltburn," "The Color Purple," "The Holdovers," "Anatomy of a Fall," and more.
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