<Haute Cuisine> is a 2012 French comedy-drama film. It’s about Hortense Laborie, a renowned chef from countryside, is appointed from the President of the Republic for his personal cook at the Elysee Palace.
The main idea of the film is about conflicts between dream, power and honour. At the first half, we know the dream of Hortense is simple. She just wants to cook her food perfectly and everyone are enjoying on it. Then, what the president want is similar to Hortense. The president wants the food tasted like his grandmother did. He wants to eat the real “French cuisine”. Not the fancy things like sugar craft flower. According by <Writing out of the Kitchen> by Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, he presented that invention of French cuisine isn’t mean the creation like Nouvelles cuisines. It means creation by the French cookery and taste.
“Culture depends on cookery.” -Oscar Wilde
Therefore, what the president and Hortense want are working on these inventions.
However at the second half, the conflict arises from chiefs from main kitchen. Their aims of being a chief in palace are for the honour and victory. In order to get president’s appreciations, they make many complicated dishes to show their abilities. That’s also why they hate Hortense, because they believe she used the sexual skills rather than using her abilities, to get appreciation and her position right now. Female was discriminated at that time.
Therefore, Hortense finds out that here isn’t what she wants, so she chooses to leave the palace and works on her dream. Thus, what the film wants to present is hope the readers can follow your dream and discard your burdens.
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