In 1993, the director Trân Anh Hùng won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for the The Scent of Green Papaya, a drama that took place in his native Vietnam. Despite its title, the film had little to do with food. Instead it drew its richness from a vibrant color palette and characters whose depth transcended subtitles. In Hùng’s new movie, The Taste of Things, the setting is 19th-century France, the country he moved to at the age of 12. This time, cuisine has a central role. Two middle-aged chefs, played by Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, work together at a restaurant: Binoche as a cook and Magimel as the head chef. The Taste of Things explores their relationship after 20 years toiling alongside each other. Hùng wonders: How do their feelings for each other affect the restaurant’s quality? And, conversely: In what ways will their mutual passion for cooking influence their newfound romance? —Jack Sullivan