Hunger

Tries to hard, but I still found this movie enjoyable. All the ingredients for a great movie are here, but they have been overcooked into a kind of mainstream stew.

Acting performances are for the most on point. Presentation and production value are there and deliver. Basically most aspects are done pretty well. But sometimes it is very over dramatic, ridiculous and features a few tropes. It comes across self-indulgent and takes itself too seriously.

Apart from that, you will find a mostly interesting story that takes one or two unexpected turns and is well executed. It offers a little change if you're currently having a limited palette.

If you were to take the film, "Rockstar": where a naive yet hidden talent is is plucked from the shadows of obscurity and thrust into the spotlight of fame and notoriety, then this is that movie...only substituting the stage for the stove.

"Aoy" is a young woman, sweating as a fry cook in her father's run-down take-out shop in the slums of Thailand. Unhappy with her station in life, by a sheer chance encounter with a particular diner sends her destiny to the top of the food chain, led by the most famous and prestigious culinary master in the country..."Chef Paul."

Chef Paul's food is of the highest standard sourced from the highest quality suppliers. Aoy soon discovers in Chef Paul's meticulous, cutting-edge kitchen, there is no room for error, and nothing short of excellence. Only the most wealthy of society can afford Chef Paul's services. Aoy learns her culinary skills quickly, but also quickly learns where the line of quality meets pretentiousness. It's only when she crosses that line, that a plate of food for the soul is abandoned in favour of selling your soul on a plate.

I was not familiar with any of the cast, but I must say, their performances were outstanding. The central character "Aoy" played by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying was absolutely captivating. Her stern yet flawed mentor, "Chef Paul", played by Nopachai Chaiyanam gave a riveting performance. The cinematography, set decoration, sound design, and locations gave as much colour and flavour as the food prepared in this movie. The costumes ranging from slum-wear to millionaire were flawless.

This type of movie is quite common as the proverbial, "Grass is Greener on the Other Side" film, though don't let this stop you from giving it a watch. It is a slow-burner, running at almost two-and-a-half hours, yet is excellently paced and never gives a moment to drag. Though, I would have liked to have seen the characters pushed a little further to emotional breaking point to learn what made them truly tick. We get this somewhat from Chef Paul, but not so much from the other characters.

Overall, this was a satisfying film to come out of from South-East Asia, Martial arts was substituted in favour of the culinary arts. The extensive range of food would satisfy any palette.

This is definitely a film the famous, Uncle Roger must review!

Very engaging film for any food lover. The main character played by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying did a terrific job as an actress. You can really feel the emotions during the intense scenes. Sadly she was the only character with any depth. It felt like her world and everyone was just living in it. The supporting roles were kind of interesting but only surface level.

Many of the plot turns were pretty cheesy. The scenes of violence and the reasons behind them were random, weird and had no build up. The head chef was cool, and stoic, which is to be expected from many successful chefs, however, he had outbursts that didn't make that much sense.

There was a few ominous scenes of rich people living out their gluttony with depictions of them eating flesh-like food. It was a clear dynamic between rich people betrayed as greedy while low-status people betrayed as simply, caring, loving, yet frustrated. It was very interesting to see this depiction, especially during the flashback scene of the Head Chef's upbringing. The comment about the caviar had me burst out laughing.

The cinematography was enjoyable and the dishes looked great. Its probably was kept me engaged the most.

Overall, this film was good. I would recommend it for sure. Many aspects were rushed, and had little development, but remained exciting and had scenes that moved me. The ending will leave most with lots of questions and unfulfilled, but you will give reflections.

Thai thriller film produced in 2023. This is the second food master movie this year after The Menu. Working in a small family restaurant of their own, the girl cook applies to work for the country's most famous chef, hoping to become a great chef. After the application, he passes the screening, but over time he sees that the job is not at all as he hoped, and that he does not take part in human emotions such as pity, emotionality and compassion on the way to the top.

The movie is about 2 and a half hours, but it is watched with interest. It does not bore the audience, on the contrary, it makes the audience feel the tension it aims at. The story of the chief cook is really nice. There is also the main idea that the artistic meals made here are not meant to satisfy hunger. At the last summit, the size of the price to be paid to be permanent is explained.

There is no sex or nudity in the movie.

I was shocked after watching this film. Obviously the film on the surface is about cooking, kitchens etc, and then on the next level down it becomes about greed, snobbery and privilege. How far are we willing to go to get what we want and what is meaning of it all?

But there is another level to this movie which left me feeling sick to my stomach. And it's not because of blood or gore. It is more to do with the way that the whole world is going, in a biblical sense the worshipping of false idols that in the end prove to be wrong. The way that we are being led by our greed and jealousy, into a place that is as far from reality as you can get.

But thankfully the film does pull it around in the end and gives mankind a glimmer of hope.