There was a little bit of shock in the international film community when France chose Trần Anh Hùng’s The Taste of Things over Anatomy of a Fall as its Official Selection for the Academy Awards. But let’s be clear: Hùng’s film, which earned him Best Director at Cannes and was a close contender for the Palme d’Or, is more than worthy. And now we’re getting a look at it with a new trailer ahead of its release early next year.
Starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, the romance drama is set in 19th-century France where a master chef and his top cook have worked together for 20 years, becoming lovers in the process. He wants to marry her, but she likes her freedom and spurns all of his proposals. So he decides the best way to win her heart is to cook for her for the very first time.
People falling in love over a shared passion for food? Yes please. I’ll take one, thank you.
The film was written and directed by Hùng, who last directed 2016’s Eternity and is best known for the 2010 drama, Norwegian Wood.
The Taste of Things opens in select theaters on February 9th 2024, with a wider rollout on February 14th.