LASSE HALSTRÖM

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (2014)

Starring Helen Mirren, Oprah Winfrey, Om Puri, Manish Dayal and Charlotte Le Bon. Directed by Lasse HalstrÖm.

Hassan Kadam is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa, settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant – the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin-starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory gets wind of it. Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet from her own escalate into a heated battle between the two establishments until Hassan’s passion for French haute cuisine - and for Madame Mallory’s enchanting sous chef, Marguerit - combine with his mysteriously-delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Madame Mallory cannot ignore.

REVIEWS The Hundred-Foot Journey - Delight for the senses and torment for the tummy