directed by Mark Mylod
Third film this year and for the third time I’m taking you to some island. I feel like we’ll soon create our own cinematographic archipelago. Anyway, totally by accident, I’d like to take you for another trip to an island where a very famous chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) owns a prestigious restaurant. He’s about to organise a dinner and a lot of fancy people are attending it. One of them is Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) who’s going there just because her date Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) paid for everything. Soon we find out that he was going to take some other woman, so Margot presence is a surprise to everyone on the island. All the guests get a tour and may see how the life of the restaurant staff is organised. Later, they all join the dinner, which is an absolute event indeed. Slowik is a true visionary, passionate about his profession and willing to surprise his guests at all costs. All costs. From the very beginning we may see that Margot is not supposed to be there and she seems to be the only one who feels there’s something wrong going on, while everyone else is blindly amazed by the spectacle of the chef. At the end of 2022 I shared on Instagram my top favourite films of that year, but back then I hadn’t seen “The Menu”. Now I can update you by saying that it could definitely be in my top 3. I think it was the only film of 2022 that intrigued me that much. I simply couldn’t look away and honestly wondered what may happen next. Not only was it an exciting experience, but also a very fresh one. You know how some filmmakers try to think outside the box, be rebellious and create something that’s totally different from structures we know. Unfortunately, if you don’t follow certain rules of making a film, it’s easy to end up with a story that disappoints or simply bores your audience. Such filmmakers focus on their own vision so much that they forget about people who will be watching their work. And let’s face it – cinema is for others. You must respect your audience. “The Menu” seems to be very well-balanced, in my opinion. It gives you some cinematographic stability, you sort of feel prepared for the story to continue, and then it shocks you with quite surrealistic pictures. Plus, it’s also a black comedy, so you may expect numerous lines that can make you laugh, but you also have to be quite attentive, because most of them are somehow hidden. Not to mention marvellous Ralph Fiennes who never disappoints as an actor. Fun fact – Emma Stone was supposed to play the role of Margot in the first place. As much as I adore her as an actress, I’m glad it was Anya in the end, as I feel she brought more mystery and some enigmatic female power – difficult to describe it, but I hope you felt that too, so you know what I mean. Or you’ll feel it too if you haven’t seen the film. For sure I’d recommend it and I honestly hope filmmakers will be going this way more often. Balance, baby, balance. Clap!
My rating: 8/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 