TASTE OF THINGS, THE (12A)

From Vietnamese director Trần Anh Hùng (The Scent of Green Papaya) comes a mouth-watering ‘gastromance’, superbly concocted by leads Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel. France, 1885: Celebrated gourmet Dodin lives on an idyllic Loire Valley estate alongside Eugénie, his cook for over 20 years. Adapted from a 1924 novel by French epicure Marcel Rouff, this intimate, humorous and sensual story about love and food is executed with detail and practical precision but without a hint of sickliness. Opening with a bravura 40-minute sequence of preparation and indulgence in one epic meal, it’s a deep tribute to the closeness of collaborative work. A veritable feast.