The Taste of Things

Set in late 19th century France, The Taste of Things follows Dodin Bouffant, a renowned chef whose life revolves around ingredients, menus, and his longtime confidante Eugénie, who serves as his personal cook and partner. Their bond blends culinary craft with affection forged over years of tasting and creating together. When Eugénie refuses to marry, Dodin seeks a new way to show his devotion by cooking for her in a manner he has never attempted before. The kitchen becomes a stage for desire, memory, and the delicate balance between power and tenderness, as their relationship deepens and flavors speak what words cannot fully capture.

Directed by Tran Anh Hung, The Taste of Things adapts Marcel Rouff's classic novel. The 2023 drama stars Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche as the central duo, exploring appetite and affection.

Box office: The film grossed approximately 5,970,753 worldwide against a budget of 6,500,000, placing it among modest arthouse performances rather than a wide commercial success. Its reception reflected niche audience appeal and critical interest in Tran Anh Hung's sensory approach.

Cultural impact: The Taste of Things sits within a lineage of culinary romance on screen, where meals become rituals and memory makers. Its patient pacing and lush mise en scene reward attention to scent, texture, and color, inviting audiences to experience cuisine as storytelling. By foregrounding the chef's craft as emotional language it may influence future arthouse dramas to treat food as a catalyst for character change and mood.

Reception and themes: Critics highlight a poised intimate meditation on love and craft. The film centers on how sharing a meal can translate longing into generosity and trust, while power dynamics and artistic ambition color their bond. The performances temper passion with restraint, and the cinematography emphasizes tactile detail, steam, glaze and warm surfaces, turning dining rooms into private theaters where emotion is plated and tasted before it is spoken.