VIFF Review: The Pot au Feu

Most of the film is centered in this kitchen

One of the closing films of the Vancouver International Film Festival was The Pot au Feu, also known as The Taste of Things or The Passion of Dodin Bouffant by director Tran Anh-Hung. It's interesting to note that exactly 30 years ago he became an international star with his film The Scent of Green Papaya.

In The Pot au Feu, Tran makes viewers hungry, watching actors Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel cooking numerous dishes using 19th century cooking equipment. One of the earlier scenes in the film is the French version of Eat Drink Man Woman, spending a lot of time watching mostly Binoche's character prepare a roast loin of veal, a whole turbot poached in a milk bath, a vol au vent, which is a puff pastry where the inside is hollowed out and creamy vegetables spooned in, and a Baked Alaska -- yes it existed in the 1830s.

Dodin cooks a romantic meal for Eugenie 

Magimel is Dodin, who seems to be wealthy enough not to "work", and instead has an estate with a large garden to grow vegetables, acquire fine wines and entertain his male friends who are serious gourmets, while Binoche is Eugenie, his loyal cook for over 20 years who intuitively knows exactly what Dodin wants. 

Oh and they are lovers too; he has asked her many times to marry him, and she politely refuses, saying the arrangement they have now is fine.

There isn't much of a plot in The Pot au Feu: an Eurasian prince comes calling and wants to impress Dodin and his friends with a terribly lavish meal that lasts eight hours. The chef is none other than Pierre Gagnaire himself who in one scene reads out the outlandish menu.

Chef Gagnaire plays... a chef in the film

The other storyline is Eugenie who has fainting spells and the doctors don't know what is wrong with her; When she convalesces, Dodin uses the opportunity to finally cook for her and presents a romantic meal for one that includes oysters topped with caviar, a chicken with slices of black truffle stuffed under the skin and the cooked in a broth that is used for consomme, then the meat is the main course. 

Then there is a precocious girl Pauline, who helps out in the kitchen and Eugenie and Dodin immediately see she has the potential to become a great cook.

Director Tran uses a lot of mise en scene, long lingering shots of the food being prepared from scratch, and how they cook things methodically but with a lot of love and care through how they handle the ingredients. He also uses a lot of natural light, while the lighting at night, particularly the dinner for Eugenie is dimly lit.

Tran (left) directing Magimel in the kitchen

The dialogue is relatively sparse, as the food seems to speak for itself, while viewers can sense the sexual tension between Eugenie and Dodin -- Binoche and Magimel were together for five years and have a daughter together, so they are very comfortable with each other on screen.

Sadly there isn't much character development in the film, but the real star of The Pot au Feu is the food. I had been forewarned not to watch the film on an empty stomach and it's true. Clocking in at 134 minutes, it's a long film about cooking and eating food. However, it surely has inspired some audience members to try their hand in the kitchen, and are probably relieved they have modern cooking appliances and not have to tend to a fire to heat the stove...

The Pot au Feu

Directed by Tran Anh-Hung

Stars Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel

134 minutes