The Taste of Things · reception & legacy
2023 · Trần Anh Hùng
How The Taste of Things has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
It premiered at Cannes 2023 to warm reviews and a Best Director prize for Trần Anh Hùng, but its reception got tangled up in Oscar politics when France chose it as its submission over Palme d'Or winner Anatomy of a Fall — it made the shortlist but missed the nomination, and the 'wrong pick' discourse followed it for months. Now that the awards dust has settled, it's simply beloved as one of the great modern food films.
What's debated
The eternal split: is it a sublime, sensual slow-cinema feast, or two-plus hours of watching people cook — and did France really rob Anatomy of a Fall of an Oscar run by picking it?
Its footprint
It's the reigning 'do not watch hungry' movie — the famous extended opening cooking sequence, with real dishes designed by Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, spawned endless reviews that are mostly just people describing what they ordered afterwards. It's become the go-to modern companion piece to Babette's Feast in any food-movie conversation.
Where it stands
A near-instant Letterboxd darling and the modern anchor of the food-film canon — the 'you must see this (after dinner)' recommendation.