Worth: $12.00
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Cast:
Katrine Greis-Rosenthal, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Charlie Gustafsson, Flora Augusta, August Vinkel
Intro:
… sensual, arty ...
This Danish drama/thriller about a married couple who own a swish restaurant, starts off with sensual, arty shots of food preparation. The couple is chasing a Michelin star for their Copenhagen eatery, and it looks as though this tale is going to be centred on culinary concerns. But it’s not the restaurant that’s at the heart of the tale, it’s the relationship.
Carsten (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones) and Maggi (Katrine Greis-Rosenthal, A Fortunate Man) are a sexy pair with two kids and a seemingly great life, which will get even better after they snag that all-important Michelin star.
While the plot involving the relationship drama follows a well-trodden path, there are small surprises. The couple’s kids aren’t secondary characters, they’re important to the story, with Flora Augusta as the eldest delivering a nuanced performance for one so young.
As Maggi, Katrine Greis-Rosenthal is a little too sure of herself initially, and not a character who’s easy to warm to, but as the film progresses and relationships become more complicated, the actress finds Maggi’s vulnerability.
Carsten, however, is not likeable at all, at any time. When a senior staff member fails to taste an ingredient for the restaurant’s signature dish, Carsten goes into a meltdown. He runs his kitchen like a totalitarian regime. His toughness makes him hard to care about, and the character is one-dimensional.
A quote from the American writer Kathy Acker is flashed up on screen in the early moments of the film: “If you ask me what I want, I’ll tell you. I want everything.” That quote could have come from Maggi. The story of how she and Carsten met is shown in flashback, with Maggi declaring from the outset that she wants it all. And in many ways, A Taste of Hunger is about the price one pays for trying to have it all.
