If it’s true that to cook is to love, then Dodin and Eugenie must be enraptured by one another. They use the exquisite language of food to express their feelings for one another, and watching their exchange, you can’t help but feel honored, if not embarrassed, to witness such an intimate and love-filled act. Food is everywhere here, delicately prepared and sumptuously consumed, but the film is more than just a glorified Food Network program. It’s a painting come to life, a love letter to craft, and a beautiful example of a life fully lived.
"If too many cooks on TV, factual or fictional, have led you to expect a steaming jambalaya of shouts, showoffs, panic stations, and free-range oaths, Trần’s film will come as a calm and clear surprise: a consommé devoutly to be wished."
— Anthony Lane
"Divine. Binoche and Magimel make for a perfectly-matched pairing."
— David Jenkins
Set in 1889 France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie. They share a long history of gastronomy and love but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the food lover decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
Set in 1889, in the French countryside, the film follows Dodin (Benoît Magimel), dubbed “The Napoleon of Gastronomy,” and the peaceful life he lives with his beloved cook Eugenie (Juliette Binoche).
The sunlight peeking through the windows every golden hour was a paid actor.
Ratatouille for refined adults.
Cannes
1 win
César Awards
3 nominations
