EXCLUSIVE
THE TASTE OF THINGS Tr n Anh Hùng slow cooks a passionate love story to perfection…
Something rather tasty for you now. Vietnamese-French director Tr n Anh Hùng’s latest, The Taste of Things, is one of those delicious cinematic morsels that will have you drooling from the very first frame.
Based on Marcel Rouff’s 1924 novel La Vie et la Passion ce Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet, the film – which won Best Director in Cannes last year – tells the story of cautious romance between a cook, Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), and her gastronomic mentor, Dodin (Benoît Magimel).
‘We have a very beautiful female character, because she’s in love, but at the same time, she knows how to keep this love,’ Hùng tells Teasers. ‘And I think she’s the one who keeps the beauty of this love, because she has this resistance. She says, “No, I don’t want to marry.” And this was something that is interesting… It means that Dodin, across 20 years, he uses every word he can to convince her. Then the only thing that is left is the cooking.’
Like Babette’s Feast and the Binoche-starring Chocolat, Hùng has crafted a lip-smacking ‘foodie’ movie, with advice coming from 14-Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire. While the sensual kitchen scenes are almost dance-like in their choreography, Hùng doesn’t suggest he was striving for any form of poetry. ‘When everything is well done, then you get the poetry as a gift, but I’m not looking for the poetry. I prefer having another language with my crew. This is my car chase. Like in an action movie!’
One of the big surprises was the fact Hùng was able to cast Binoche opposite her real-life ex-partner, Magimel. ‘At first she thought that Benoît will never accept because of their [history],’ says Hùng. But then he read the script. ‘I go to see him, and he said, “OK, I’m in.” And he was so happy. So I thought that it will go well with her – it will not be a problem. And th
