The Taste of Things (2023) review

An ode to gluttony ... or perhaps the "refined palate": master chef Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), along with young assistants Violette (Galatea Bellugi) and Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), prepare a multi-course meal for Eugénie's romantic partner Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) and his buddies but she keeps having "fainting spells" and is in questionable health, then Dodin and friends share an gluttonous eight-hour evening with the Prince of Eurasia, Eugénie and Dodin finally get married but she passes away, and then Dodin has to find a "replacement" for her to assemble a feast for the Prince.  The attention paid to the preparation of the various dishes is impressive and detailed (fresh vegetables and herbs are plucked from the garden, broths and sauces emit steam in the kitchen, an old-fashioned ice cream machine is used for Baked Alaska, etc.) but that's the bulk of the "narrative": the relationship with the leads (who sleep in separate bedrooms) is mostly defined by their devotion to the culinary arts, Eugénie's fate is telegraphed well in advance and very little is said by anyone that doesn't pertain to the items being crammed into their mouths (or menus planned for the future).  I suppose Hùng is trying to make a point that "love" between two people can be meaningfully expressed in the way they methodically cook gastronomic delights for each other, but a late night chat over a microwaved bowl of leftover rigatoni and cold beer isn't so bad either....