The American magazine The New Yorker wrote about the film The Taste of Things by Vietnamese-American director Tran Anh Hung like that.

Much of the film is about, or appears to be about, food and drink, and is set in, or around, and near a French manor house, writes Anthony Lane in A Philosophy of Pleasure in “The Taste of Things” in The New Yorker.

Blurred Boundaries of Humanity

The house is run by Dodin (Benoît Magimel), a gourmet, who has a loyal cook, Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), although from the start there is an unusual blurring of social boundaries.

The kitchen was Eugénie's domain, however Dodin was often found there, helping prepare meals, and at times he took on the entire task, preparing a one-of-a-kind dinner just for her.

As the cook sat down, resplendent in her butter-yellow dress with a high lace collar, and enjoyed her meal, one had to ask, who was serving whom? Occasionally, Dodin would come to Eugénie's bedroom door, asking permission to enter.

There's no sense of master and servant, but rather it's as if the two of them have agreed to a secret romantic relationship, and the question is why they never got married, or whether they ever got married.

Tran Anh Hung's peaceful kitchen

The first half hour of the film revolves around the preparation of dinner for Dodin and his friends, carried out by Eugénie.

Although invited to join in the fun, Eugénie refused to participate, saying, "I always talk to you through the dishes I cook."

Normally, if there are too many chefs in a TV show, whether real or fictional, you will immediately think of a dramatic scene with screaming, smoke and fire... but Tran Anh Hung's film brings a surprising calm and clarity, writes Anthony Lane.

The movements in that kitchen were purposeful and quick, but not hasty, as if practiced perfectly long ago.

Tran Anh Hung's interest in food, and how it can both unite and divide those who enjoy it, was evident in his debut work, The Scent of Green Papaya, released in 1993.

Although filmed in France, this movie is set in Vietnam.

Frequent tracking shots in The Scent of Green Papaya give the film a sense of calm, but there are also close-ups that capture the glistening moment of greens covered in fat sautéing in a hot pan.

In Muon Vi Nhan Gian , Tran Anh Hung aims for a more complex level, with the camera moving around Eugénie's kitchen as if under her confident command, and even climbing over the edge of the pot to inspect - in effect, to inhale the aroma of the delicacies inside.

In The Scent of Green Papaya , the story revolves around a little girl named Mui who moves from the countryside to the city to work as a servant.

In Muon Vi Nhan Gian is the story of a little girl named Pauline (played by Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) learning to cook. And she is a genius.

“Mushrooms, dill, tomatoes, oranges, wine,” Pauline rattled off the ingredients in the bourguignonne sauce she tried.

However, A Thousand Flavors of Humanity is not a culinary film.

“So what kind of movie is this? I would say it's a conservative, heartfelt film that depicts the combination of fine craftsmanship and sheer hard work in the name of fun,” writes Anthony Lane.

“ The human condition is interwoven—in ways I don't anticipate and won't reveal—with the darkness of illness and grief,” the author also reveals.