(ESP-ENG) The Menu, many secrets and sins to pay!

Hello friends, good vibes to all.

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We are a little clear that I am arriving a little late to this restaurant and that probably the food they are going to serve me will not be so exclusive, but I still had to live the experience because at the end of the day that is what you pay for when you go to these places, many times the dishes take a back seat. This was a movie that had been on my list for a long time, basically because of the cast and the story behind this very particular restaurant. I also confess that I had great expectations because this film is called to be one of the best of last year, which I don't like very much because the more you want to see something, the greater the disappointment can be.

What can I say about this movie? - Well, for those who have not seen it, I would say that it is a combination of Ratatouille, Kill Bill (I don't know why but I feel that there is an aroma of that film in this story), a bit of The White Lotus and a good episode of Master Chef, you combine those four elements and as a result you are going to get The Menu. Clearly this is a critique of the upper classes, how the instantaneous or "fast" is killing all culinary and general art and how that can lead to people who are in that world at some point in their lives feeling empty. I as a photographer can't conceive of a photo taken with a phone being the same as one taken with a professional camera, it will never be the same. Well that's the general feeling of Chef Slowik, so let's go ahead and talk a little bit about this film.

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At first this story focuses on a couple, Margot and Tyler (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) who are two people totally unconcerned about money and decide to go to enjoy a new way of eating, a whole new dining experience that is giving much to talk about among people who have the economic capacity to afford such luxuries. One of the details is that this place is on an island away from everything and to get there you have to take a boat, one that you will soon realize is full of important and influential people and it could not be otherwise, most of the people who go there are not random.

This restaurant is under the command of Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) who is a renowned chef with an avant-garde and very conceptual cuisine that really makes everyone want to try his dishes and as I said, live the great experience of sitting at one of his tables. Once the diners arrive and settle in, the tasting process begins, one that goes as expected until our chef decides to make a change to the menu to introduce a new ingredient, one that will undoubtedly change the evening and the lives of many of those present. It is here when everything starts to happen and it is when the plot takes on a different color, one that is more surprising, unexpected and even violent.

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We must start with the obvious, this is not a culinary film although its dishes have been taken as a reference from a famous Norwegian restaurant, this is a film full of black comedy, a totally unexpected brutality and above all a very good criticism of society. The comedy is given by situations that are living inside the restaurant that can fall into the absurd, things that are difficult to see because I feel that this humor is not for everyone, you really have to like it. And what is the context of this comedy? - Well, the interaction of all the tables, each one has a different story with some very particular characters that are taken to the limit being here the perfect moment for the misfortune to bring out that peculiar grace.

The brutality goes a bit with the reference I gave in the beginning, Kill Bill is a classic film that has high loads of this black humor and unbridled brutality. Well here it's the same, you don't expect everything that ends up happening and that's something I really liked, these amounts of blood, this tension that something is going to happen but you don't really know how it's going to happen, the danger in the air, all that makes the film very enjoyable. The scenes were made in a very good way, even poetic I would say, everything has a sense, nothing happens just because, there is only one action scene which is excellent, it doesn't need more because the environment is already violent enough.

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And finally we have the criticism to society but more specifically to the upper classes. In this film we see them reflected as the untouchables, the ones that above them there is nothing else so they feel a little immune to everything around them. But as there are always secrets, we all have them and here is no exception to that rule; the film shows these people as the big culprits that this art of cooking is worth less and less and this is thanks to the culture of the disposable, that everything is for show and not to really enjoy as it should and in part it must be said that a little right. Nowadays those little things are not appreciated as they should be, not only in the kitchen but in many other aspects, so this angle is another of the top things of this plot, one that again and I repeat hooked me from beginning to end.

I have to talk about Anya Taylor-Joy. She is the character that gives life to this film, her performance is very remarkable, she is an actress who has the ability to interpret drama, comedy, action and suspense very well and all in the same scene. There is a passage of the film, the only one I think, where we see her body to body with another character and the truth is that although it was a little short it was acceptable, it was a touch that was missing to the plot and Anya delivered it very well. A tough character, direct, without half measures and that tells you the truth to your face. The best thing about The Menu was her without a doubt. Her partner Tyler is the typical character that you hate because he is totally disconnected from reality, a selfish, self-centered guy that you resent, this is a good sign that Nicholas Hoult also did his homework.

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And finally Ralph Fiennes, the meticulous and drastic chef who has to have everything under his control. It is a complex character because at first you do not know very well what happens to him, is somewhat ambiguous to understand but then many doors are opening and gradually we discover his personality and especially things of his past so that we serve as context and get to know him better. It is very dark but transparent at the same time, those people who you know have a hidden history but their intentions are ahead. Fiennes' work is splendid, you really believe he is a top chef.

This film is an 8.5/10, I liked it a lot, I did not succumb to the expectations because for me they were fulfilled. A good suspense accompanied by an acid and black comedy with many touches of a very measured and necessary violence for what the plot is and the message it seeks to give. Recommended to everyone, it is a gem of a movie. It lasts a little over an hour and a half and is available on HBO Max. Here is the trailer.

Well my people that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to everyone, see you next time!