Part of the magic of cinema is that, despite appealing to only two senses, it can evoke them all. Food makes this abundantly clear: cinematic stories about cooking and eating can induce sensory bliss, taking us home with a few shots and sounds of a beloved dish, or somewhere entirely new with the same thing.
The taste of things, the French historical romance from director Trân Anh Hùng, is one of the latest films to bring the magic of food to the screen. A love story between a chef and a foodie. It’s meant to leave viewers more than hungry, but you’ll be hard-pressed not to visit a restaurant on the way home. It’s as good a time as any to celebrate some of our favorite cinematic celebrations, a small menu of films we love in part because of the hunger they left us when the credits rolled.
The taste of things
Photo: Stéphanie Branchu/IFC Films
Where to watch: In theaters
The taste of things opens with a central family of chefs and gourmets preparing a feast for – well, it’s not initially clear for whom. For these chefs, it’s all about the process – as words give way to the clang of cooking. Vegetables picked fresh from the garden and perfectly cut fish fillets are lowered into basins and covered with oil, spices and creams. Afternoon sunlight flickers through the kitchen of the rural French estate (romantically dressed for the eve of the 20th century) basting a sizzling piece of beef.
As the preparation of one dish gives way to another, and the scene stretches so far that you wonder if this is the entire movie, it feels – magical! – as if there might not be any guests for this meal. That the spread is not made to be enjoyed by some refined aristocrat who will immediately take the stage, but to be devoured by the eyes of us stuck on stale popcorn in the cold, dark theater. —Christopher Plante
Tampopo
Image: Janus/Everett Collection
Where to watch: MaxCriterion Channel, or for digital rental/purchase at AppleTV
There are many films that feature delicious food, but few weave it into their stories in the same way Tampopo.
A couple of truck drivers (including a very young Ken Watanabe) stop at a run-down ramen shop and decide to help the widowed owner turn it into the best little ramen shop. It’s the perfect setting for countless delectable dishes, beautifully filmed with attention to detail by director Juzo Itami and cinematographer Masaki Tamura. When cooking, the process is just as important as the end result. The windows-in Tampopo looks so good that it will not only convince you to find a great ramen place, but it will also convince you to try making the perfect ramen dish yourself. —Piet Volk
The platform
Image: Netflix
Where to watch: Netflix
The whole point of the bleak Spanish science fiction nightmare The platform is the food metaphor: prisoners in a vertical prison are offered a huge feast, descending from level to level, which the prisoners at the highest levels eagerly plunder, leaving picked scraps (or nothing at all) for those below them. But for the metaphor about wealth inequality and human greed and malice to really land, the food has to be lush and elaborate and represent all the riches the world has to offer. The opening scenes of the feast being made, laid out, and laid out in an immaculate kitchen are delicious and compelling, just as the scenes of that feast being plundered are disgusting and a little depressing. It almost seems tempting to go to that horrible prison just for a chance at that meal. —Tasja Robinson
Phantom wire
Image: Focus functions
Where to watch: Netflix, or for digital rental/purchase at Amazon And AppleTV
Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrayal of a celebrated seamstress shines in detail, in clean lines and sharp cuts. It’s a delightful film, but one more interested in substance than food. But when it stops for a meal – a noisy piece of toast, a flashy pub order for a ‘hungry boy’ – it’s delicious. No disrespect to my friends and colleagues across the pond, but I have never seen British cuisine so appealing. —Joshua Rivera
Big night
Image: Samuel Goldwyn Films/Everett Collection
Where to watch: Free with a library card on Hoopla, free with ads on Pluto TV
One of the best foodie films of all time, Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci’s 1996 drama Big night revolves around a sumptuous meal, made with equal layers of love, ambition and cheese. Two Italian immigrant brothers (played by Tucci and Tony Shaloub) argue about how to make success out of their American restaurant, but eventually come together to prepare a reputation-boosting meal for musician Louis Prima. The preparation and consumption of that feast is the centerpiece of the film, and it’s all meant to convey how much sensual pleasure and communal energy goes into good cooking and the celebration that surrounds it. Be warned: this isn’t exactly a feel-good movie, despite everything there is to enjoy. —TR
Bonus: Studio Ghibli
Image: Studio Ghibli
Where to watch: Most are available on Max
Even a cursory sampling of the medium will show that anime stories of all stripes are absolutely lush in food, and few do it better than Studio Ghibli. If you want proof of the power of skilled animators to connect with audiences on a visceral level, look no further than these loving depictions of food, which are just as mouthwatering as the real thing. —JR