From Cannes: The Food of Love in ‘The Pot-Au-Feu’

Trần Anh Hùng’s “The Pot-Au-Feu,” or “La Passion de Dodin Bouffant” in French, follows famous gourmet Dodin Bouffant’s food-loving household, the power of eating and sharing food, and his bittersweet romance with his cook, Eugénie. At its heart, it is a quiet ode to the joy of taste, as the majority of the runtime floats between extended sequences of cooking, and warm scenes between Dodin and Eugénie. It is perhaps best encapsulated by a plot detail that comes to matter very little: After being invited to dinner by a rich, important man and served overwrought food, Dodin decides to return the compliment but plans to only cook a pot-au-feu, simple boiled meat and vegetables, an uncostly dish that will presumably taste wonderful under the care of his kitchen.

At its core, “The Pot-Au-Feu” is a lavish dedication to French food. Hùng doesn’t shy away from prolonged mouth-watering sequences showing, from garden to table, the creation of delicious multi-course meals, which is a treat to watch. The film opens with a long sequence where Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), prepares an elaborate dish for him and his associates, while Dodin (Benoît Magimel) looks on. All of the ingredients go through many rounds of preparation, testing and refinement as characters move from chopping boards to stove to oven, showing off a stupefying array of foods that is impossible to follow until they coalesce into delicious-looking meals. In fact, “The Pot-Au-Feu” was filmed with real food prepared on set, a creative choice that shows the film's dedication to authentic cooking and makes everything on screen truly tantalizing. The wonderfully drawn out scenes of the preparation of food themselves become the appreciation of food — characters eat with gusto, dissecting each meal while also enjoying its worth as a whole. The spectacle is applauded and characters groan with delight at the plates presented to them. Instead of being tedious, these long scenes make the film’s message obvious — to present Eugénie’s culinary expertise, and to show how Dodin’s home and personal life all revolve around a love of food.

The film also benefits from its role as a period piece. Set in 1885, it nostalgically harkens back to a simpler time without diminishing the positives of technology today. By focusing on details such as pulling water from a well by hand, it acknowledges the ease modern technology has provided while also delighting in a simple story about a timeless craft. Seeing Eugénie make basic goods like ice cream using traditional methods is a delight to see, and trying to guess what each dish will become adds another level of enjoyment to the film.

Dodin’s plan to make a commonplace dish for his illustrious guest, the titular “pot-au-feu,” emphasizes the film’s choice to center homely charm and good craft. Here, the glory in the everyday is the most beautiful thing in the world.

The entire film builds a wonderful intimacy. Whether cooking or talking, characters crowd together and naturally inhabit each other’s space. Lighting and color grading is vital in the film’s story, and beautifully utilized, providing bright sunlight in the happy kitchen or warm candlelight during excited after dinner drinks.

The romance between Dodin and Eugénie is natural and captivating. The conflict primarily comes from talented cook Eugénie not wanting to cede her important role in the house as Dodin wants to marry her. Their navigation of the issue, with neither wanting to hurt the other but remaining afraid to risk the balance of their home and their brilliant talent for food, is gutting to watch. Binoche and Magimel have a natural chemistry that hints at the long history viewers are told exists between these characters. “The Pot-Au-Feu” is perhaps a more successful food film than romance, and the stakes of the relationships and any outside pressure are not defined at all, but this is easily forgiven in light of the moving performances.

The presence of Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), a young girl with a talent for flavors and cooking, is also a standout moment in the film. The gruff-aging-man-brought-to-life-by-a-promising-young-girl trope is well managed, as Dodin is mostly welcoming towards Pauline from the beginning, even though he self-consciously believes he isn’t good enough to help her fulfill her dream of becoming a great cook. The first scene between them, where Dodin tries to bring her out of her shell by asking her to identify the ingredients of a sauce, is memorable. Pauline’s serious expression is intercut with shots of the many ingredients that went into it as Dodin grows more impressed, a quick exchange that immediately establishes the world of “The Pot-Au-Feu” and its characters. Though she stereotypically seems to represent hope in the film, and the different economic status of her family is clumsily handled, the choice to show an awe for food and its preparation across multiple generations just adds to the film’s sense of joy and reverence.

Overall, Hùng’s subtle directing choices enhance a quiet, plodding drama given vitality by the beautiful framing of food, a warming romance, and the romanticisation of a simple life.

Just try not to see it on an empty stomach.

—Staff writer Millie Mae Healy can be reached at milliemae.healy@thecrimson.com.