Probably the only scene in the film that isn’t aesthetically overloaded: Juliette Binoche and a scaly fish
Photo: Carole Bethuel
You should not watch the film “Beloved Cook” as a vegetarian and definitely not when you are hungry. In the first twenty minutes of the 136-minute long film, your mouth is watering so much that you have to rush out of the cinema to at least grab a snack.
After watching chef Eugénie, portrayed by Juliette Binoche in her usual charming way, carefully picking lettuces in the vegetable garden at dawn, you can see her preparing a tasty breakfast: small fish delicacies, omelettes, homemade jams, fresh milk and cheese are just a few of the delicacies , with which the landowner and restaurateur Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) and the cook he admires and loves begin their day.
Afterwards, the meditative cooking marathon begins for lunch, which is captured by cameraman Jonathan Ricquebourg like a unique, sensual ballet. Every move is perfect between Eugénie, Dodin and the maid Violette. They hardly need to exchange a word with each other. Violette’s extremely talented niece Pauline (Sarah Adler), who is present that morning, also fits seamlessly into this choreography of the dedicated meal preparation. The culinary delicacies were created by star chef Pierre Gagnaire, who also plays the head chef of the Prince of Eurasia in a supporting role.
In the sun-drenched country house kitchen, the old copper pots are steaming and clinking, people are stirring, chopping, frying, grinding, plucking and clarifying butter – in between, Violette washes the salad outside in the clear well water, while a peacock screams in the background. So far, so extremely sensual. Nevertheless, as the film progresses, you get stomach rumblings that don’t come from the food.
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The historical drama by Trần Anh Hùn, who won the Golden Camera in Cannes in 1993 for his directorial debut “The Scent of Green Papaya”, is set in 1885. The script is based on the 1924 novel by Marcel Rouff, which was so successful that many Dodin Bouffant was considered a real restaurateur.
The “Napoleon of the culinary arts”, as Dodin is also called, has been in love with his subordinate Eugénie for twenty years. Although she has so far fended off his marriage proposals, she occasionally leaves her room door unlocked so that the owner of the house can eat her for dessert.
While Dodin and his all-male entourage polish off one course after the other in the stately dining room, Eugénie eats in the kitchen. Although she is once invited to their table by the gentlemen, she demurs modestly: “I talk to them through what they eat.” A sentence that certainly gives you a stomach ache due to the romanticized portrayal of role clichés and class hierarchies.
The comments made by the gentlemen at the table about the food also border on real satire at times. What’s also amazing is that despite the daily gluttony, they are surprisingly of normal weight. However, one must give Trần Anh Hùn credit that gourmets always enjoy in silence and speak true words, for example: “The discovery of a new dish brings humanity more joy than the discovery of a new star.”
But the country-loving idyll gradually begins to crack due to Eugénie’s repeated bouts of weakness. Dodin decides to cook for her so that she can regain her strength.
The cook moves to the posh dining table, and when her admirer asks if he can watch her eat, it certainly has an erotic touch, although the love affair between the two doesn’t really spark beyond the cooking pots.
Dodin tried it again and served his beloved a wedding ring in an airy work of art made from puff pastry – and Eugénie finally accepted his proposal. Blessed is anyone who can forget all the wars, crises and conflicts of this world through such scenes. The jury in Cannes seemed to feel the same way, as they awarded the historical drama the 2023 award for best director.
However, you can finally lose your appetite if you look up the recipe for a mysterious dish that Dodin’s friend once served to his blackheads: Grilled Ortolan – the gourmets’ heads routinely disappear under a fine cotton napkin so that they can breathe in the scent better.
However, the steaming dish is a now protected songbird that is fattened in the dark or after removing its eyes for 14 days and then drowned in Armagnac. Dying like birds in France. In the film, quail were probably used instead. However, consumption of the real delicacy is still widespread in wealthy circles.
Nevertheless, this historical drama as a whole will whet your appetite – you just shouldn’t make the mistake of looking up individual recipes.
“Beloved Cook”: France 2023, directed by Trần Anh Hùng. With: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Pierre Gagnaire. 136 minutes, start: 8.2.
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