Drawn together by their shared love of food and mutual respect, the esteemed cook and the gourmet find love, and their passion blossoms into delicious creations. A film by Tran Anh Hung, starring Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger, Patrick d’Assumçao, Galatéa Bellugi, Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire, Jan Hammenecker, and Pierre Gagnaire.

In 1885, at the Dodin estate in the French countryside, Violette (Galatéa Bellugi) introduces her young niece, Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), who is visiting for the day, to Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) and Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel). Dodin invites them to join him and Eugénie for breakfast.

After breakfast, the four of them begin preparing an intricate meal for Dodin’s friends. Eugénie and Dodin are impressed by Pauline’s natural gift, believe that Pauline could be trained to be an exceptional cook.

While Dodin takes his seat at the dining table and Violette brings up the next dish from the kitchen, Pauline witnesses Eugénie’s fainting spell for the first time. Eugénie thinks nothing more of it, believing that she might be just tired. Eugénie quickly recovers and continues preparing the next dish like nothing happened.

Dodin and his friends are pleased and mesmerized by the food Eugénie prepared. After the meal, they all come down to the kitchen to compliment Eugénie, and express their frustration that she never eats with them. Eugénie explains to them that it would be impossible because she had to be in the kitchen to make sure every dish is perfect before serving them.

In the evening, Eugénie and Dodin talk about Pauline. Eugénie believes Pauline possesses a gift for culinary arts. Dodin agrees with her and assures her that he will talk to Pauline’s parents when he takes her home tomorrow. However, Eugénie expresses the desire to talk to Pauline’s parents by herself. Although Eugénie is a cook who has been hired by Dodin for more than twenty years, she is also Dodin’s lover. Dodin has so much respect for Eugénie, he has even asked to marry her multiple times, but Eugénie has kept refusing him, asserting that she is happy with the way everything is.

Dodin, famous among gourmands (people who take great pleasure and interest in consuming particularly good food and drink), is even called the “Napoleon of Culinary Arts” (Napoléon de l’art culinaire) by some. Dodin accepts an invitation to dine with the Prince of Eurasia at the hotel, with a meal prepared by the Prince’s master chef. The meal lasts for eight hours, and Dodin is not impressed. When Dodin returns to his estate, he plans to create a menu for the prince. Eugénie reveals that Dodin intends to serve the prince Pot-au-feu. Dodin believes his masterful take on this classic French stew, a dish that has endured for centuries, will be the perfect way to showcase his profound culinary expertise.

Eugénie experiences several episodes of fainting spell. Dodin’s friend, Doctor Rabaz, is unable to determine the cause, as Eugénie’s vital signs show no abnormalities and Eugénie persistently insists she’s fine. Dodin grows worried about Eugénie’s condition. During her recovery, he prepares an intricate meal with great dedication. He surprises Eugénie with an engagement ring hidden in a dessert. Eugénie finally accepts his proposal and agrees to marry him.

Written and directed by Tran Anh Hung, the film La PASSION de DODIN BOUFFANT is based on Swiss author Marcel Rouff’s 1924 novel, “La vie et la passion de Dodin-Bouffant, gourmet.” While the film features meticulously beautiful shots of the culinary arts in the kitchen, including multiple continuous shots following food preparation, the pacing suffers. Some scenes feel too long, lingering on subjects without much happening. We do get to see how the characters enjoy the intricate meal through expressions on their faces, but the film rarely explains how each dish actually tastes. Perhaps not everyone enjoys watching people eat after all.

Je me sens en plein été. Et quand je partirai, ce sera encore l’été. J’aime l’été, le soleil. J’aime cette brûlure, j’ai besoin de cette brûlure dans mon corps. C’est comme ces braises que je manie tous les jours.

La PASSION de DODIN BOUFFANT is a romantic love story without a villain or external conflict. Dodin, apparently having inherited a comfortable fortune, spends his days enjoying meticulously prepared meals by his cook Eugénie. Together, they create exquisite dishes.

Miraculeux, c’est beaucoup dire. C’est simplement un fait scientifique. Mais oui, le blanc d’œuf battu est un isolant. La glace reste glacée. C’est un physicien, un Américain qui a établi ce fait, qui a donné l’idée à Balzac de créer ce dessert. Balzac, le chef cuisinier du Grand Hôtel. C’est lui qui a créé l’omelette norvégienne.

Instead of focusing on recreating old menus or established recipes, I would have preferred the film to delve deeper into their creative process of developing a new menu. In this regard, I found Éric Besnard’s film “Délicieux” to be more compelling. However, I understand that La PASSION de DODIN BOUFFANT is more about a love story than food. The film dedicates nearly two hours to Dodin and Eugénie’s love story, leaving limited time to explore Dodin’s emotional devastation after Eugénie’s death, which, unfortunately, is predictable and lacks impact.

Baked Alaska, also known as omelette norvégienne, depending on the country, is a dessert consisting of ice cream and cake topped with browned meringue. The name “Baked Alaska” was supposedly coined in 1876 at Delmonico’s, a restaurant in New York City, to honor the acquisition by the United States of Alaska from the Russian Empire in March 1867. However, the restaurant’s original recipe was called “Alaska Florida” (suggesting extremes of cold and heat). During the Paris World’s Fair in 1867, chef Balzac of the Grand Hôtel decided to create a “scientific dessert” by using Benjamin Thompson’s discovery of the low thermal conductivity of egg whites. Thompson lived in Bavaria at the time of his discovery, and as the chef thought Bavaria was in Norway, he decided to name the dish “omelette à la norvégienne” which refers to the cold climate of Norway.

J’aime toutes les saisons. Les premières gouttes d’une pluie, les premiers flocons de neige. Les premiers feux de cheminée, les premiers bourgeons. Toutes ces premières choses qui reviennent chaque année me ravissent.

The final act attempts to condense everything, concluding similarly to the novel. Dodin seemingly overcomes his grief and resumes his role as a gourmet. He takes Pauline as his apprentice, and they taste dishes prepared by potential cooks to assist him with his menu for the Prince of Eurasia. While the final scene has comedic elements, it feels rushed, simplistic, and not particularly memorable.

La PASSION de DODIN BOUFFANT premiered at Festival de Cannes on 24 May 2023, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or, and won the Best Director Award (Prix de la mise en scène) for Tran Anh Hung.

Saint-Augustin disait que le bonheur, c’est de continuer à désirer ce que l’on a déjà, mais vous, ne vous ai-je jamais eue?

The film was theatrically released in France on 8 November 2023, and was chosen as the French entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Je peux vous poser une question? C’est très important pour moi. Je suis votre cuisinière ou je suis votre femme?