The Taste of Things

The Taste of Things (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant), 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 La Vie et la passion de Dodin-Bouffant, gourmet (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
 * as Rabaz
 * Patrick d'Assumçao as Grimaud
 * Galatea Bellugi as Violette
 * as Magot
 * as Beaubois
 * Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire as Pauline
 * as Augustin
 * as Pauline's father
 * Sarah Adler as Pauline's mother

Production
The film was shot primarily at the Château du Raguin 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.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 185 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10. 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.