“It’s a beautiful, odd and unique blend of horror, thriller, comedy and satire in a mashup that I’ve yeah genuinely not seen before”: Mark Mylod on The Menu
If there’s one thing that seems to be in the zeitgeist right now – from Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness to White Lotus and Glass Onion – it’s satire of the rich and over-indulged. The Menu is another solid foray into the milieu, taking aim more specifically at the world of haute cuisine. In the hands of Mark Mylod, notably a writer and director who works on Succession, the film walks a careful fine line between paying tribute and sending up this often ludicrous, yet highly revered sphere.
As with the Roy family, Mylod convinces us to care about some fairly repulsive characters, who are further elevated by deft casting decisions in the form of gravitas-personified Ralph Fiennes as chef Slowik (head of an ultra-exclusive island-based restaurant experience), Nicholas Hoult as a geeky food-obsessive who visits the restaurant for the first time, and Anya Taylor-Joy as the date he brings along for the ride at the last minute. Alongside them are a motley crew of other over-endowed characters, from a has-been actor and his fed-up assistant to a snooty critic and her lackey editor and a triplet of tech bros.
Mylod’s reported approach of having all his cast on-set at all times, as a theatre production would, brings a certain atmosphere to proceedings, and a nagging sense of claustrophobia. As the level of preposterousness and pretentiousness creeps up, so does the tension, until darker and darker elements take us to a bonkers climax. Viewers will simultaneously be left squirming and craving a cheeseburger.
The Upcoming had a chat with the director over Zoom to hear more about how the genesis of the project, how he worked closely with chefs to bring authenticity to his depiction of the gastronomy world and how he assembled and worked with his incredible cast.
Sarah Bradbury
The Menu is released nationwide on 18th November 2022. Read our review here.
Watch the trailer for The Menu here:
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