Foodie Films
By James Page
Babette’s Feast (1988) You may not have heard of it. Babette’s Feast is a Danish feature that centres around sisters Martine (Birgitte Federspiel) and Philippa (Bodil Kjer). The pair, on their way to becoming spinsters under the watchful eye of their strict pastor father, are all of a sudden joined by Parisian refugee Babette (Stephane Audran). Babette begins to work as the new family cook and prepares a sumptuous feast which subsequently drives a dagger through the family’s prior tensions. Rarely does a film centre around a lavish feast yet deliver such a characterdriven narrative. It’s so simple, yet so magnificently crafted. The idea that food can deconstruct old narratives and form new ones is crystal clear and so relatable, even in 2020. The character development, notably that of Martine and Philippa, is stunning. Prior to Babette’s arrival, the pair regarded
food as something plain and simple. But afterwards, they become open to acknowledging that it can be more than just a necessary supplement for growth and health. This film is in Danish and I understand that a lot of people can’t be bothered with foreign films. But foreign cinema is honestly some of the best cinema we have. Just look at how Parasite performed at the Oscars a couple of weeks back. As director Bong Joon-ho mentioned, once you can get past the one inch barrier of subtitles, you open up a ton of great films. Babette’s Feast won Best Foreign Language Feature Film at the 1988 Academy Awards, becoming Denmark’s first-ever Oscar victory.
It’s Alive! with Brad Leone (2016-present) Welcome to the whimsical world of the Bon Appetit test kitchen. It’s Alive follows our host, the cheerful and charmingly chaotic Brad Leone, as he navigates the
waters of fermentation in this addictive web series. (You can watch on YouTube or on Bon Appetit’s website.) Fermentation? What even is it? Brad demonstrates it all with DIY kombucha, miso, jerky, mustard and so much more. Each episode is between 10-30 minutes so it’s all super binge-able and is ingeniously edited. Seriously, HALF of the exposition is down to the editor. It’s incredible. The greatest thing about It’s Alive! is the throughline that runs through the series. Brad, in his own clumsy way, reminds us that it’s okay to mess up sometimes. He reminds us that cooking doesn’t have to be scary and serious. He reminds us that if you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. Brad’s chaotic and fun approach to cooking is inspiring - you should really give this show a go and you’ll feel the urge to mad-scientist yourself some home-made kombucha at the end of it.
