Directed by Christoffer Boe
Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Katrine Greis-Rosenthal, Charlie Gustafsson and Nicolas Bro

As a Melbourne born and bred man, I am extremely fortunate to reside in a city that boasts some of the finest in world-class dining experiences. Irrespective of our various types of cuisines or dietary choices and requirements, our need and love of food is something that is universally shared. Therefore, I know I am not alone in having instant appetite for a film set somewhere in the culinary world. 

Food, like sport, is one of those rare and wonderful things in our world that can and often does unite us. It breaks down barriers, leads to connections being formed, and everyone and everything benefits from it. A little-known and wonderful documentary called Breaking Bread is the epitome of this. For chefs, however, that love of food, their passion and innovation in the kitchen and the striving to reach renewed perfections, is what will make-or-break them.

It is a make-or-break time in the lives and careers of married chef couple Carsten and Maggie (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Katrine Greis-Rosenthal) as A Taste of Hunger opens. They manage Malus, a fine-dining restaurant at the heart of the Danish gourmet scene in Copenhagen. On a good day, Carsten is as cool as a cucumber. On a bad day, his inner Gordon Ramsay is unleashed. When word arrives that Michelin are in town and may in fact have already wined and dined at Malus, Carsten and Maggie know no boundaries in chasing that highly regarded and sought-after star.

As a society in this 21st century, I reckon we’ve become well accustomed and even quite addicted to ‘food porn’ on our screens, thanks in part or perhaps largely to embracing television programs such as MKR. Viewers seem to enjoy fireworks in the kitchen just as much as eyeing off the meticulous food preparation and presentation that happens behind the scenes. A Taste of Hunger, in that case, has all the ingredients it needs to tickle many tastebuds. However, to ensure an accurate expectation is set, there is something you absolutely must know about this Danish drama before viewing it. A Taste of Hunger does have doors to other rooms in the house to open before eventually returning to the kitchen. For instance, the timeline rewinds to when Carsten and Maggie first meet, which also happens to be in a kitchen! These deviations from the established timeline and location do have their relevance and later unearth a neat twist I didn’t see coming. At the risk of sounding gluttonous though, the downside to that for me is A Taste of Hunger simply left me craving more character-driven kitchen drama than what was ultimately dished up. Furthermore, one flaw in the film is its lack of explanation for why not achieving a Michelin star would completely ruin Carsten and Maggie. Especially given pretty much everything they do hinges on this. 

In summary, viewing A Taste of Hunger is akin to a tantalising tastebuds experience at a fine dining eatery that ends with a McDonalds trip on the way home! Hopefully my review changes that experience for you, but if like me you’re left craving something more from the oven, then I can highly recommend a brilliantly shot and mightily impressive film I recently watched called Boiling Point.

A Taste of Hunger (Smagen af Sult) is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from October 13th.

Moviedoc thanks Pivot Pictures and Annette Smith: Ned & Co for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

Follow on Twitter – Moviedoc / LIKE on Facebook – @moviedoc13 / Follow on Instagram – moviedoc_melbourne

©