‘The Taste of Things’: Cooking as an Act of Love

Cooking is an inherently cinematic process. When someone is a truly gifted cook, it is an artistic expression that takes years of refinement and commitment to even begin to perfect. However, it also takes a person who is capable of understanding the nature of subtlety relating to things like flavor, texture, and balance. The biggest compliment I can give Tran Anh Hung’s The Taste of Things is it feels like a perfectly balanced meal that utilizes every ingredient of filmmaking to leave you completely satisfied with the quiet, but no less emotionally profound nature of the film.

The Taste of Things is a period piece set in the year 1885 in France and tells the story of Eugenie (Juliette Binoche), an expert and coveted cook who has worked with Dodin (Benoît Magimel), a gourmet and her boss, for 20 years. Throughout that time, the two have developed feelings for one another, and Dodin finally decides to pursue those feelings in the “autumn” of their lives.

In terms of plot, this is an incredibly simple film because this is far more a film about character and place. We are watching these characters navigate both physical places, as well as feelings, that they have familiarized themselves with over a very long period. I think it’s quite impressive how, as a viewer, I could feel this unspoken history in an effortless way. The mise en scene of the kitchen is exquisite; it feels lived in, and the way these characters move through the space while crafting these gorgeous-looking dishes allows the viewer to feel the deep sense of history and beauty of the craft to which they have committed their lives.

The first half of this film is incredibly subtle, but there is so much emotion in every cooking scene, which take up a significant portion of the film. I found these scenes to be riveting; to these characters, cooking is an act of deep expression. Cooking is ultimately an act of love that they treat with reverence.

The two lead performances at the center of The Taste of the Things are the glue that holds it together. Juliette Binoche is a deservedly loved actress by film enthusiasts, and this is one of my favorite performances she has given. It takes an incredibly skilled actress to be able to communicate so much through action and expression; but with Binoche, it all feels so natural and effortless. Benoît Magimel is equally terrific as Dodin. His performance is a little more showy than Binoche’s, particularly in the second half of the film, but I found him to be charming and heartbreaking in equal measure.

Visually, The Taste of Things is as impressive as anything I have seen in the past year. The production design by Toma Baqueni is something that stood out to me. Each space these characters occupy feels so of the time and place it is meant to portray. Everything feels so vibrant and lived in. There are moments of true cinematic ecstasy. Moreover, the lighting is very natural in its beauty and evokes an intoxicating atmosphere throughout. The editing by Mario Battistel, particularly in the cooking scenes which essentially feel like action scenes, is very strong. While I am someone who enjoys cooking, I think even viewers who don’t love cooking can get wrapped up in the beauty of the process here made even more interesting by the limitations of the period in which the film takes place, and the editing captures it all so perfectly.

Apart from all of this, the romance is what I found to be the strongest aspect. I loved these characters, and I wanted this relationship to sprout and thrive. I found multiple scenes intensely powerful and deeply romantic. There’s a deep sense of melancholy both to this film, as well as the characters who occupy the frame. The deep emotion and sense of expression that cooking releases in these people are stirring and alluring, but I found it to also be deeply tragic that they often couldn’t express their feelings in more direct ways. It felt very human and profound to me, and further spoke to the time and place.

I found The Taste of Things to be excellent. I love films about food because it is such a central part of all of our lives and we often don’t give it, or the people who craft it, all that much thought. There’s a profound beauty to the process of cooking and film can capture that in such a stunning way. Tran Anh Hung has a very cinematic eye as he captures the staggering beauty in the smaller, more quiet moments in life. He crafts this film like a great dish: every ingredient feels perfectly blended to create a well-balanced and sumptuous experience. I loved it.

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