The Taste of Things

The Taste of Things (), previously titled The Pot-au-Feu, is a 2023 French historical romantic drama film written and directed by Trần Anh Hùng starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel.
Set in 1889, it depicts a romance between a cook and the gourmet she works for. The character of the gourmet is based on Dodin-Bouffant, created by Swiss author Marcel Rouff in his 1924 novel (The Passionate Epicure).
The film premiered on 24 May 2023 at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, and was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in its main competition section, where Tran Anh Hung won the Best Director award. It was released in France on 8 November 2023. The film was chosen as the French entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
== Synopsis ==
On a country estate in France in 1889, Eugénie works as a cook for Dodin, a gourmand who delights in her cooking. Eugénie and Dodin, along with her assistant Violette and Violette's young niece Pauline, who is visiting for the day, prepare an intricate meal for Dodin's friends. The group meets regularly to eat and enjoy food and respect Eugénie for her artistry. Their appreciation for her cooking is contrasted with their disappointment in a garish and discordant eight-hour meal prepared by the chef to a visiting prince staying nearby.
Eugénie and Dodin, both middle-aged, are in a long-term romantic relationship, but maintain separate bedrooms; he has asked her to marry him several times, but she declines, preferring that they stay as they are. They find joy in developing new recipes and preparations together. Eugénie suggests to the parents of Pauline, who has considerable gastronomic talent for a child, that she trains Pauline as a cook, but they demur. Dodin plans to invite the prince to a meal for which he will prepare the menu, revolving around a pot-au-feu.
Eugénie experiences several fainting spells, and Dodin grows worried about her health. His doctor friend, Rabaz, is unable to determine the cause, and Eugénie persistently claims she is fine. After one such episode, he cooks an intricate meal for her with great dedication and concludes with an engagement ring hidden in a dessert. She finally accepts Dodin's proposal, and they plan to marry in the "autumn of their lives". However, one morning, Dodin wakes to find that Eugénie has died in her sleep.
He mourns her and becomes melancholic, refusing to eat. Pauline's parents arrive to inform him that Pauline, also affected by the death of Eugénie, is intent on learning from him, but he refuses. When his friends send a cook to cook him an omelette that Eugénie had often made him, he sends the cook away in fury. Eventually, he begins interviewing cooks to work for him and prepare the prince's menu, assisted by Pauline. After several unsuccessful interviews, one of his friends brings him a dish made by a cook working nearby. Excited, Dodin and his friend go to meet the cook, bringing Pauline along. In a flashback, Eugénie and Dodin discuss their relationship, and she asks if she is his cook or his wife. He replies that she is his cook, to her satisfaction.
== Cast ==
* Juliette Binoche as Eugénie
* Benoît Magimel as Dodin Bouffant
* Emmanuel Salinger [fr] as Rabaz
* Patrick d'Assumçao as Grimaud
* Galatea Bellugi as Violette
* Jan Hammenecker as Magot
* Frédéric Fisbach [fr] as Beaubois
* Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire as Pauline
* Jean-Marc Roulot [fr] as Augustin
* Yannik Landrein [fr] as Pauline's father
* Sarah Adler as Pauline's mother
== Production ==
The film was shot primarily at the in Chazé-sur-Argos, Maine-et-Loire, in April and May 2022. French chef Pierre Gagnaire served as culinary director while also appearing in the film in the small role of a chef. Co-stars Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel were partners from 1998 to 2003 and have a daughter together.
== Release ==
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 24 May 2023. It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 6 October 2023.
It was theatrically released in France by Gaumont on 8 November 2023. IFC Films and Sapan Studio jointly acquired the U.S. distribution rights and are scheduled to give the film a limited theatrical release on 9 February 2024, before expanding wide on 14 February.
== Reception ==
===Critical response===
On Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 171 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "As epicurean as French haute cuisine, The Taste of Things indulges our palates with an exquisite seven-course love story for the soul." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 43 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The Taste of Things received an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 33 reviews.
Vanity Fair reported that the film received critical acclaim. The New York Times described the film as having "elements of joy and sorrow, humor and intensity, beauty and light and shadow combine in a perfectly balanced experience". RogerEbert.com remarked that the film "achieved...a delicate balance" that "feels like a magic trick".
The film was selected as the French entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, and made the 15-film shortlist.
===Accolades===
Award 	Date of ceremony 	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result	
Academy Awards 	10 March 2024 	Best International Feature Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 	17 January 2024 	Best Actress 	Juliette Binoche 	 	
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 	17 January 2024 	Best Foreign Language Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Astra Film Awards 	6 January 2024 	Best International Actress 	Juliette Binoche 	 	
Astra Film Awards 	6 January 2024 	Best International Feature 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Astra Film Awards 	6 January 2024 	Best International Filmmaker 	Trần Anh Hùng 	 	
Boston Society of Film Critics 	10 December 2023 	Best Cinematography 	Jonathan Ricquebourg	 	
Cannes Film Festival 	27 May 2023 	Palme d'Or 	Trần Anh Hùng 	 	
Cannes Film Festival 	27 May 2023 	Best Director 	Trần Anh Hùng 	 	
César Awards 	23 February 2024 	Best Costume Design 	Tran Nu Yên Khé 	 	
César Awards 	23 February 2024 	Best Production Design 	Toma Baquéni 	 	
César Awards 	23 February 2024 	Best Cinematography 	Jonathan Ricquebourg	 	
Critics' Choice Movie Awards 	14 January 2024 	Best Foreign Language Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 	18 December 2023 	Best Foreign Language Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Denver Film Critics Society 	12 January 2024 	Best Non-English Language Feature 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Georgia Film Critics Association 	5 January 2024 	Best International Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Gotham Awards 	27 November 2023 	Outstanding Supporting Performance 	Juliette Binoche 	 	
IndieWire Critics Poll 	11 December 2023 	Best International Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Lumières Award 	22 January 2024 	Best Cinematography 	Jonathan Ricquebourg	 	
Mill Valley Film Festival 	16 October 2023 	Audience Award – World Cinema 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Miskolc International Film Festival 	9 September 2023 	Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film	The Taste of Things 	 	
Montclair Film Festival 	20 October 2023 	Audience Award – World Cinema 	The Taste of Things 	 	
North Texas Film Critics Association 	18 December 2023 	Best Foreign Language Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Palm Springs International Film Festival 	15 January 2024 	Best International Feature Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle 	9 January 2024 	Best International Feature Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
San Sebastián International Film Festival 	30 September 2023	Culinary Zinema Best Film Award 	The Taste of Things 	 	
Satellite Awards 	18 February 2024 	Best Actress in a Supporting Role 	Juliette Binoche 	 	
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	10 December 2023 	Best Foreign Language Film 	The Taste of Things 	 	
== See also ==
*List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
*List of French submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
== External links ==
*
== References ==
Category:2023 films
Category:2023 romantic drama films
Category:2020s historical drama films
Category:French romantic drama films
Category:French historical drama films
Category:Cooking films
Category:Films directed by Tran Anh Hung
Category:Films produced by Olivier Delbosc
Category:Films set in 1889
Category:Films set in France
Category:Films shot in Maine-et-Loire
Category:2020s French films
Category:Gaumont Film Company films
Category:France 2 Cinéma films