A TASTE OF HUNGER/ SMAGEN AF SULT

Denmark, 2021, 104 minutes, Colour.

Katrine Greif-Rosenthal, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, Flora Augusta, Charlie Gustafsson, August Vinkel, Nicholas Bro.

Directed by Christoffer Boe.

With so many very popular cooking programs on television, programs from all over the world, chefs and bake-offs, it is not surprising that there have been quite a number of films in recent years taking audiences into kitchens, observing food preparation, observing cooking, observing service and style.

As the title seems to indicate, this is one of those films. It comes from Denmark and stars popular International Danish actor, Nikolai Costa-Waldau as Carsten, meticulous cook, a rather different role, from trekking across the Arctic to mythological adventures in Game of Thrones. And he is matched by Danish actress, Katrine Greif-Rosenthal, as his wife, Maggie.

For those who watch the film, there is quite an amount of food preparation, cooking, failures in the kitchen, eating – and, as it emerges, the desperate hope for the restaurant in Copenhagen to receive the honour of a Michelin star. And, it would seem that this is the greater hunger, the hunger of ambition dominating so much else.

The film creates the atmosphere of Copenhagen, of the restaurant, especially in the kitchen, as well as homes and apartments, other restaurants. And, there are some dramatic excursions to the countryside outside Copenhagen.

But, audience attention is more and more drawn to the relationship between Carsten and Maggie, their two children, life at home with Carsten’s preoccupation with his restaurant (his daughter complaining that he talks about food even away from the restaurant). Gradually, deeper tensions are revealed, a mysterious typed letter indicating that Maggie is not faithful to Carsten.

Audiences have to pay quite some attention to the chronology of the film – because, we realise, that it is presented as something of a jigsaw puzzle. On the one hand, there are the scenes in present Copenhagen, times indicated specifically at the bottom of the screen. Then, there are some words presented something like a screen poster, a heading, and some attention to detail and action. And we realise that we are being taken back into the past, sometimes within a few minutes of a present scene. Eventually, we are able to put all the pieces in place but it is a challenge to attention.

The main flashback is to the first meeting between Carsten and Maggie, his background, failure at a function, her coming to his support, inspiring him – and a realisation that they have been running the restaurant for 10 years, married for 10 years. In the background are quite a number of genial characters, especially Carsten’s older brother whom he worked for, another man who is his mentor, and a number of cooks, including Frederick, the younger member of the group.

There is also a frantic sequence when one of the children is lost in the forest, a desperate search. And there is also a highly dramatic sequence involving the young daughter, the repercussions of the tensions in her parents’ life becoming overwhelming.

Actually, we can leave the cinema in quite a cheerful mood in some respects – and, a note, there is actually another minute with Carsten and Maggie after the final credits.

1. A cooking film? A marriage and parenting film? An ambition film? Combination?
2. The Copenhagen setting, the restaurant, interiors, customers, the kitchen? Homes? Other restaurants? The streets? The woods, forests, the water? The musical score?
3. The title, the focus on food and taste? An appetite for success? The Michelin star?
4. The structure of the film: in the present, the style of noting Copenhagen and various times? The headings, the chapters, as flashbacks? The various pieces of the film and putting them together?
5. The initial focus on Carsten, the restaurant, the kitchen, interaction with the staff, hard, demanding? The visitor rejecting the oysters? Confronting Frank and firing him? Hope for the Michelin star? The presence of Maggie at the restaurant? Encouragement and support? Finding the letter denouncing her?
6. The flashback to beginnings, his story of working with his brother, the years in Japan, the ship giving him the knife and firing him? The return home? Setting up the restaurant? The catering, its failure, Maggie coming into the kitchen, support, the ingredients for hot dog? Their marriage? 10 years, the two children? Life at home?
7. Maggie’s story, the initial encounter with Carsten, the marriage, the children, home life, the commitment to the restaurant, ambitions? Carsten away from home, Chloe commenting on his absence, his talking about food outside the restaurant? Maggie with the children, the clashes between the two, making each apologise, the mushroom sequence, Maggie on the phone, Chloe not paying attention, August and his disappearance? The search, Chloe and her resentment, going to the road, leaving the group the search, finding August to sleep? And his poking out his time at Chloe?
8. Maggie, the relationship with Frederick, his restaurant work, contacts, information about the Michelin visitor? The flashbacks, seeing him with the family, extended family, with Maggie, the affair? Her thinking he wrote the letter? The blackmail, her leaving home, the sexual encounter, he forcing himself, the information about the visitor?
9. The confrontation with Carsten, Chloe overhearing it, the harsh words, the truth, the past? Alienation? Two months later, separate, plan for the divorce? Call to the school, Chloe not doing well? Her going to the counselling session, her telling the story, admitting she wrote the letter, the Counsellor asking whether it be better for her parents to know, their offering to tell the parents?
10. The announcement of the Michelln stars, everybody at the restaurant, Maggie, the children, the announcement, the failure to get the one star? The reaction of some of the cooks? The sudden news of the two stars? Carsten his speech, acknowledging Maggie and her story? And the post-credits scene of the two at the bar and the whiskey sour?
11. The story of a marriage, ambitions, tensions, failure, forgiveness or not? The children?
12. And also a film for food lovers, the attention to menus, cooking on details?