“La Passion de Dodin Bouffant” shows cooking as art
Published: Thursday, Feb 15th 2024, 11:20
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With "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" about a famous gourmet, Tran Anh Hung has once again proven that he is a master of images. A visual treat with Juliette Binoche, but lacking a little spice in terms of content.
Turbot in a milk broth, veal shank with mint and thyme: the pots and pans in the large country kitchen of the famous gourmet Dodin-Bouffant are sizzling and cooking. The almost dialog-free opening scene lasts more than 20 minutes, in which the camera literally looks into pots to watch the vegetables steaming and follows the characters as they chop herbs, gut fish and cook meat. There are many such delicious and long cooking scenes in "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant".
With his latest film starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, Tran Anh Hung once again lives up to his title as a master of images. The French-Vietnamese director already won over audiences with his aesthetics in "The Scent of the Green Papaya".
Ode to French cuisine
The film about the extraordinary chef Eugènie (Juliette Binoche) and the passionate gourmet Dodin-Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) was awarded the prize for best director in Cannes. The story about cuisine and love is also in the running for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for France.
The film is based on the book "La Vie et la passion de Dodin-Bouffant, gourmet" by the French-Swiss writer and co-founder of the Academy of Gastronomy Marcel Rouff from 1924. The novel is set in 19th century France and tells the story of Eugénie, who has been working as a cook for the star gourmet for 20 years.
Food has rarely looked so delicious
He creates the dishes, she implements them masterfully. Together they create unique dishes that attract guests from all over the world. But the two don't just share their culinary passion. They also share life and bed. Dodin wants to marry her, but Eugénie is very happy with the situation as it is. With "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant", Tran Anh Hung has not only made an ode to French cuisine, but also a moving love story. Binoche and Magimel succeed brilliantly in expressing the silent connection between the couple through the slightest glance, the slightest smile.
The history of "food films" is long, but rarely has food looked as delicious as it does here. You have the impression of smelling the pastries and cooked meat. Every shot, every scene becomes a painting, a still life of a meal. A genre that experienced its heyday in the first half of the 17th century. The 61-year-old director sees cooking as art. With his aesthetic depictions of food, he appeals to our sensual pleasures. "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" is a visual feast for the palate that could have done with a bit more action.
"La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" will be shown in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland from February 22.
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