Tran Anh Hung directs Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche in an exquisite film about French gastronomy

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Best Director Award at Cannes, “The Passion of Dodin Bouffant” could not receive a greater distinction, on a story of passion and creation, devilishly cooked by an expert. The film was chosen to represent France in the Oscar pre-selection

Tran Anh Hung had already tackled cooking in The Smell of Green Papaya who won the Caméra d’Or and the Youth Prize at Cannes for Un Certain Regard in 1993. He immerses himself in 19th century French gastronomy with The passion of Dodin Bouffant, adaptation of the novel by Marcel Rouff The Life and Passion of Dodin-Bouffant (Editions of the Plumed Serpent). Benoît Magimel in the title role and Juliette Binoche in that of his passionate cook, form a splendid duo shared between bedroom and kitchen.

A suave camera

At the end of the 19th century, Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) is a genius cook in the service of Dodin (Benoît Magimal), a retired bourgeois who devotes his life to gastronomy on his property in Anjou. Their common passion, the table, brings them together and they give in to more carnal pleasures. They create tasty dishes that the gourmet shares with a restricted circle of fans. Free, Eugénie refuses marriage, and, in order to convince her, Dodin decides to get behind the stove.

Tran Anh Hung opens his film with a magnificent scene of food preparation. Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) designs a sophisticated meal for the circle of friends that her master, soon to be her lover, regularly brings together. In an orchestrated choreography of weighted and smooth camera movements around the table, close to the dishes and pots on the fire, Tran Anh Hung translates the sensuality of a kitchen at work. A wonderful appetizer.

Joint creation

Tran Anh Hung lovingly films the gastronomic chronicle of the master of these charming places, dedicated to the cult of good food, lush vegetables and passion fruit. A chosen language is spoken there sparingly, a little precious, emanating from an outdated conservatism of which the palace of Dodin would be the ultimate refuge. However, it is dedicated to a gastronomic revolution in progress. But this retreat is also the alcove of sincere love between the owner and his cook. The basic subject of the film becomes the blossoming of this union in common creations. Tran Anh Hung otherwise remains modest but sufficiently explicit when he discusses other consumed flesh.

The servant Violette (Galatea Bellugi) and her young second Pauline (Bonnie Chageau-Ravoire) generously participate in this living picture which speaks of another time and intoxicating passions. Tran Anh Hung films a festival of colors in all these dishes prepared, served and tasted, in the heart of a nonchalant atmosphere, where the frivolous becomes the essential. Join this temple of delights, enjoy this festive meal, preferably well accompanied, to share it.

The sheet

Gender : Historical comedy-drama / Romance
Director: Tran Anh Hung
Actors: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger, Patrick d’Assumçao, Galatea Bellugi, Bonnie Chageau-Ravoire, Jan Hmmenecker, Frédéric Fisbach
Country : France
Duration : 2h14
Exit : November 8, 2023
Distributer : Gaumond Distribution

Synopsis: Eugénie, an outstanding cook, has been working for the famous gastronome Dodin for 20 years. By spending time together in the kitchen, a romantic passion was built between them where love is closely linked to the practice of gastronomy. From this union are born dishes, each one more tasty and delicate than the other, which goes so far as to amaze the greatest people in the world. However, Eugénie, eager for freedom, never wanted to marry Dodin. The latter then decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.


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