Perhaps one of the most viscerally indulgent films of the year, filmmaker Tran Anh Hung’s The Taste of Things offers a sizzling, gastronomic treat that aims to satiate all of the senses. At the heart of the film is a tender love story between two middle-aged cooks in their “autumn” years whose commitment to each other consistently reverberates throughout their rich, albeit, repetitive life.

The year is 1889 and Eugénie Chatagne (Juliette Binoche) can be found doing what she does best: cooking. Commanding the kitchen as if on auto-pilot, Eugénie waltzes around the stoves and counters with stunning confidence and finesse. No recipe books to be found, she adds thinly sliced vegetables to the pot au feu, dashes of salt to the brine of fish, and whole milk to the pastries that will no doubt come out perfectly golden brown. Eugénie is a food artist and is highly respected by chef Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel), whose meals are often prepared for him and his friends by Eugénie.

Admiring more than just her skills, Dodin is infatuated with Eugénie and expresses his love often. The two cooks have worked together for over 20 years and their love for each other has sustained time, growing stronger with each passing year. It is never explicitly addressed why Eugénie has kept Dodin at a distance, romantically speaking, despite clearly having so much love for him, too. However, their love circumvents the need for traditional labels. They express their devotion through the food they prepare for each other; acts of service are their love language and they are fluent in their declaration.

The Taste of Things is nothing if not a flavorful feast for the eyes and ears. The opening of the film takes audiences on an artful journey through the intangible senses as we watch Eugénie and her young apprentice prepare a multi-course meal fit for a king. With such synchronicity–as if choreographing a ballet–we watch her quietly create some of the most gorgeous plates of French cuisine to ever exist on screen. It’s almost comical how appetizing the food looks and how we can practically taste every individual course in such fine detail. Three-star chef Pierre Gagnaire served as a consultant on the film, helping director Tran Anh Hung achieve perfection on a plate.

Juliette Binoche delivers a reliably strong performance as the self-assured Eugénie, her grace and embodiment of the character are truly felt. Acting opposite Binoche is Benoît Magimel, her real-life former partner and father to their daughter, Hana Magimel. Binoche shared this connection in an exclusive Q&A during an early screening to a stunned audience, who mostly had no idea there was a prior history between the two leads. This personal backstory aids the film in insurmountable ways. Another unconventional takeaway is that for as much joie de vivre that surrounds The Taste of Things, there is a noticeable lack of score. A singular piano piece from Jules Massenet’s opera “Thaïs” is the only musical element in the film, however, the film never lacks for sound. The elements of cooking–sizzling butter, burning wood, running water, chopping vegetables–all aid in creating the film’s aroma-based soundtrack.

The richness that seeps throughout the scenes in The Taste of Things is a vision to behold. Let yourself get washed away in the sights and smells of Tran Anh Hung’s transfixing culinary triumph.