One of the best foodie movies ever made, The Recipe seamlessly merges the talents of Anna Lee (American-trained director of the extraordinary sci-fi romance Rub Love back in 1998) and Jang Jin. Ryu Seungryong plays a hard-bitten TV news producer who follows up an intriguing lead (he learns what a condemned prisoner’s last wish was) and goes in search of a particular doenjang stew. It’s a common Korean dish, made with fermented bean-paste, but this one recipe makes it taste like the food of the gods. There are a couple of false trails before he learns the truth about 100% pure sodium chloride crystals, lacquer-tree spring water, ume-petal earthenware and the rhythm of chirping crickets – not to mention a goblin man, a builder of drains with no sense of smell and a mysterious woman named Hyejin.
Film details
Productieland
South Korea
Jaar
2010
Festivaleditie
IFFR 2015
Lengte
107'
Medium/Formaat
Betacam Digi
Taal
Korean
Première status
None
Director
Anna Lee
Producer
Jang Jin, Kim Jinyoung, Choi Taeyoung, John Han, Katharine Kim