An intoxicated camera floats through The Taste of Things, written and directed by Anh Hung Tran (The Scent of Green Papaya), based on a 1924 novel by Marcel Rouff. Set in 1885 France, the movie details the unusual, exquisite relationship between a wealthy chef and gourmand (Benoit Magimel) who has worked closely with his house cook (Juliette Binoche) for 20 years. He has proposed marriage to her many times, to no avail. When she suffers a health scare he tries another tactic: preparing a meal singularly for her to enjoy. With that camerawork (the cinematography is by Jonathan Ricquebourg) and the elaborate, patiently detailed scenes of meal preparation, The Taste of Things easily deserves mention alongside the great food movies (Babette’s Feast, Big Night), while also being intensely erotic. (In this combination, it recalls both Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love and Satyajit Ray’s The World of Apu.) And yet — and this likely counts as a spoiler — The Taste of Things ultimately lingers as a uniquely serene meditation on dying. Or, as the movie would likely put it, on being grateful for a life well lived.
(1/9/2023)
