About a week ago a new French-language film popped up in Netflix's on-demand service. The film, Haute Cuisine, is directed by Christian Vincent and tells the story of Hortense Laborie, a renowned regional chef who served as the private chef of French President. Originally titled Les Saveurs du Palais, Haute Cuisine is the fictionalized real-life story of Danielle Delpeuch, the private chef of Francois Mitterrand.
In the movie, Laborie (played by Catherine Frot) is taken from her farm (bed and breakfast) and asked to provide all of the personal meals at the Elysee Palace for the President. To do this, she has to learn to navigate the bureaucracy of the government and even more importantly, the kitchens and staff of the Palace.
I enjoyed how the film introduces the viewer to the palace, overwhelming us just as Hortense would be on taking on the position of private chef. The story interweaves between Laborie's time in the Elysee Palace and what we assume is present day at a French research outpost off Antarctica where she is the chef. All throughout we get a sense of the lead character's ability to win over those around her through her strength and skill. While I am fairly certain I wouldn't care for the meals prepared in the film, I can recognize the skill that must go into the preparation.
Haute Cuisine is funny and endearing and if you speak French or don't mind subtitles, well worth your time. Not a spectacular film based on a true story like the The Intouchables, but very good. I give Haute Cuisine 3.5 Mick Happies. Bon Appetit.
P.S. Short review this week. I have been spending my free time playing the full release of Path of Exile. If you aren't playing it or haven't tried, download it from the developer's website or through Steam. It is free to play and very good.
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