What were their thoughts in the Oscar committee office in France? Trần Anh Hùng’s artistically stunning and emotionally nuanced costume drama The Taste of Things seemed like a sensible choice for a Best International Film, especially since the film had won Best Director at Cannes for its adaptation of Marcel Rouff’s 1924 novel The Passionate Epicure. Unfortunately, it was not only not nominated for an Academy Award this year, but it was also not allowed to enter any major categories at the Césars, commonly known as the “French Oscars.”
This appears a bit unjust. The film features outstanding work from César-nominated cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg, production designer Toma Baquéni, and costumer Trần Nữ Yên Khê. Ricquebourg’s sensual lighting is superb, creating a painterly tactility whether gilded sunlight seeps into the kitchen or flickers illuminate Binoche and Magimel’s precise culinary tasks. Nothing has portrayed food preparation and eating so sensually and reverently since Gabriel Axel’s Babette’s Feast (1987). The off-camera experience of three-star Michelin chefs Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Nave adds to the authenticity. However, the music-free sound mix is the key component.
With The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), Vietnamese-French director Trần Anh Hùng ventured into gourmet territory and understood that an audience required more than just a whetting of their appetite. Therefore, there’s a genuine love spark between Dodin and Eugénie, which is enhanced by the real-life relationship that Magimel and Binoche had, which lasted for a number of years. The class system, women’s standing, and the culinary and cultural traditions of France are all examined, and an interesting torch-passing subplot involving Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), a farmhand’s daughter with a remarkably sophisticated palate, takes generational respect into account. Though there’s plenty here to feed the intellect, this is really a visual feast.