The Taste of Others (2000)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui
Directed by Agnès Jaoui

Starring Anne Alvaro, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Alain Chabat, Agnès Jaoui, Gèrard Lanvin, and Christiane Millet

Features:

• Trailers
  

Anamorphic: Yes
My Advice: Rent it

Castella (Bacri) is a successful businessman and lives in an somewhat oppressive relationship with his wife. However, he has recently hired an intriguing actress named Clara (Abvaro) to teach him English. Castella has wound up infatuated with her and her life. Franck (Lanvin) is Castella's bodyguard during a deal with some Iranians, who meets up with Manie (Jaoui). She is a barmaid who deals in hash and is very open with her...um...sexual activity. So what happens when these people get together and are faced with the possibility of a change in their own partnerships?

This movie is very much a character study. I always think it's fascinating to see a story of humanity transcend language barriers--and this one is a great example of how well that can work. The characters are intriguing and the actors do a really good job of drawing you into their stories. If there is a weakness to the film, however, it would be that it just didn't get going fast enough. They took too long developing the characters and establishing their long-term relationships as well as their relationships with each other. I had already gotten what they were trying to say and just wanted the story to get moving. But, once the story really does get going, it's a lot of fun. Reading the back cover of the DVD, you would think that this is all about the physical relationships that people have and how those effect their lives, but they also cover the temptations of physical relationships that are not acted upon--and how they can impact lives just as much.

The DVD is very weak. Granted, there is probably not a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff for this film, and unless Jaoui speaks English, it would be difficult to do a commentary track, but at least there could have been something other than a bunch of trailers for other movies on this disc. Perhaps some interviews with the cast and crew would have sufficed. Alas, all we are left with is the film and a couple of trailers. It's pretty sad when you're pining for a flaccid making of featurette.

So, if you are into the whole foreign film thing (or even if you are not, this is a great movie to get started with), pick it up as a rental: subtitles are nothing to be afraid of and the movie is worthy.