Exquis

I was in the mood for horror and at first, wasn't sure where this was going. I expected the usual variation on a theme of a typical slasher film with jump scares and a soundtrack building up to what was going to happen; but then I remembered this wasn't a Hollywood-made movie. I settled in and enjoyed the slower pace and gradual unveiling of the horror. European films tend to reveal terror more subtly, rather than relying on shock tactics of U. S. films I grown to be accustomed to. I appreciated the slow day-to-day feel and building of tension through their daily interactions, secrets, and lies. While the socio-political message was clear, the current real-world political climate makes fiction feel less frightening. This movie was just the right mix of horror to satisfy my craving.

Side note: On a few levels, this film reminded me of the 1983 UK/US co-production film "The Hunger" (David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Catherine Deneuve).

As "Delicious" (2025 release from Germany; 102 min) opens, we get to know a family from Frankfurt. The husband and wife and their 2 kids arrive in the south of France, After a nice dinner out and with the husband possibly drunk, on their way home their car hits a young woman... At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: the premise of this movie is as familiar as it is appealing: well-to-do family takes in a wounded young woman and it's no long before we sense that not all is quite what it seems. The movie is plot-heavy so I won't go into further details. The movie reminds me of "Parasite" and "The White Lotus", except that "Delicious" provides a long (and at time great) leadup, only to badly misfire in its concluding half hour, leading to a massive letdown. Austrian actress Valerie Pachner ("The King's Man") plays the lead as Esther, the couple's wife, and does the best she can under the circumstances. I can't say that I was familiar with any of the other performers. The original score of this movie is courtesy of Oscar-winning composer Volker Bertelmann (a/k/a Hauschka), and is excellent and prominent in the movie.

"Delicious" premiered at last month's Berlin film festival, and it recently started streaming on Netflix. Netflix suggested it to me based on my viewing habits which includes lots of foreign films and TV series. If you are in the mood for a family drama out of Germany, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

A film that shows that Netflix has sunk deeper and deeper into the pit. There is nothing appealing or logical about the film. It has such a ridiculous and artificial network of relationships that if you get to the end of the film, it becomes clear that it is a waste of time.

A wealthy family living in Germany comes to their home in France for a vacation. One night, they think they hit someone with their car. When they get out of the car, they see a girl with a bleeding arm. They take her home and bandage her arm. Then the girl turns the lives of all the family members upside down.

When you write the subject, it may seem appealing. But the film is so ridiculous and boring. An ugly girl seduces them all for some reason. Plus, most of the family trusts the girl more than their own daughters. Plus, all the family members are easily prone to straying. The family, which acts so elite, becomes a toy in the hands of a group of scoundrels, etc. Etc.

You can tell where this movie is headed within the first 15 minutes. From there, it drags itself to the grand "reveal" like a wounded animal, testing your patience at every turn. By the time it finally gets there, you're practically begging for mercy-just wrap up this mess already. The cinematography is good (1 star is for cinematography only) and the actors do their job, but none of that can salvage a story that feels uninspired and, frankly, not worth the time. It's a frustrating, drawn-out exercise in patience.

Worse, the film seems to think it's clever, mistaking unnecessary complexity for depth. It drags you along, teasing some grand revelation that never quite delivers and by the time it does, you just don't care anymore.

Very bad. It is a stupid version of Parasites, but made by braindead people trying to be smart. Chatgpt would have done better. Please read others people reviews and skip that. Ridiculus, just small example: You hit someone, and instead of taking them to hospital you take it home ( you can be a good person, but take in a totally stranger when you have kids...) from there it just goes more and more stupid. Oh...i need to write 600 words...a waste of time...mmm it tries to give msg of eat the rich (rich are just rich but stupid so we can outsmart them)...i get it...im poor too...but i don't think that all rich people are so stupid...the only stupids are the one watching the film...me included.