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STEPHEN'S MOVIE GUIDE

Eden (2007)   rating

Review: written 2008

Gargantuan gastronome meets winsome waitress

Eden (2007)

Michael Hoffman's film is yet another tale of food on screen as an allegory.. in this case, of passion. This idea has been done so many times now (Chocolat most notably) that it is difficult to approach without a jaded eye, and yet there is still some enjoyment to be had.

A gluttonous chef, proud of his 137 kilo girth, is renowned for his culinary masterpieces which are so good we only see people eating ravenously and never delicately. When his path crosses with that of a waitress and her Down's Syndrome daughter, his food rejuvenates her passion and his affection grows into something more. So far, so Hollywood, but the rub is the passions his food ignites only bring her closer to her husband, and not as he hopes to himself. Gluttony, jealousy, ignorance and unrequited love follow. There are problems... The food as photographed never quite sets the mouth watering enough to make you believe it can have the miraculously aphrodisiac effects it does, and not a single one of the characters are truly endearing enough to make you really care.

Story-wise, the movie follows an interesting course, while still feeling a little bloated (pun intended) at 98 minutes... but without giving anything away, the ending is more satisfactory than any Hollywood version would have been, making the wait worth it.

Subtitles are reasonably good, and the German is clear. Worth watching then - but enough with the food related films for a while, ok?

Eden (2007)




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