The Passion of Dodin Bouffant

PL: Bulion i inne namiętności

Director: Trần Anh Hùng

Script: Trần Anh Hùng

Cinematography: Jonathan Ricquebourg

Editing: Mario Battistel

Producer: Olivier Delbosc

Cast: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Jean-Marc Roulot, Pierre Gagnaire

France 2023
135′

Can passion have a flavor? Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung (Cyclo, The Scent of Green Papaya) proves that it definitely can! The Pot au Feu (awarded for Best Director at this year’s Cannes Film Festival) immerses us in the world of exquisite French cuisine, but above all, it sensually shows that through dishes, flavors, and aromas, one can express the deepest emotions. The film, set in the second half of the 19th century, revolves around the excellent cook Eugenie (Juliette Binoche) and renowned gastronome Dodin (Benoît Magimel). For 20 years, they have been cooking together, creating recipes, and hosting grand parties. They communicate mostly through food, preparing magnificent broths, sauces, quails, turbots, vegetables from their own garden, and spectacular desserts. The world they create together helps them survive the most difficult moments in life, and their relationship evolves over the years. Tran Anh Hung, loosely basing the screenplay on Marcel Rouff’s novel and inspired by the authentic figure of Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, combines romance with poetic slow cinema. The culinary artistry of The Pot au Feu is the work of Pierre Gagnaire, the famous French chef acclaimed with numerous Michelin stars. There hasn’t been such a flavorful film in cinemas since Babette’s Feast. Bon appétit!