Menus-Plaisirs—Les Troisgros (2023 | France | 240 minutes | Frederick Wiseman)
Frederick Wiseman’s newest documentary runs for exactly four hours, probably about the amount of time you’d spend enjoying a dinner service at Le Bois sans Feuilles, the decades-long holder of three Michelin stars run by the Troisgros family in the French countryside in Ouches. While the price of admission for the film is substantially less than even the a la carte menu at the celebrated restaurant, the intricately observed documentary is nevertheless a sumptuous immersion in the highest levels of nouvelle French cuisine. Cinephiles with the patience to for Wiseman’s technique will find themselves richly rewarded with the experience of being washed over by his comprehensive examination of both a quiet family drama and the creation of the finest of dining experiences.
Early in the film, we make our way from a bustling farmer’s market to Le Central, the family’s casual Roanne cafe. There, father (Michel Troisgrois) and son (César) negotiate the finer points of an asparagus dish and the ingredients that should comprise its sauce. Hours later, we conclude — after lunch services and a grand tour of the region — in the warm candlelit glow of their premiere establishment’s glass-walled modern dining room with the elder chef making the rounds as the evening falls around them. In the intervening hours, Wiseman shows us seemingly everything that has contributed to the family’s decades of sustained success at the highest levels of the culinary world.
For more than sixty years, the nonagenarian documentarian has been employing his technique to capture the inner workings of institutions. But more specifically, Wiseman’s interests align with depicting stories of the people whose efforts are essential to how those institutions function (most recently, in City Hall, a stirring portrait of Boston’s municipal government and the people it serves). Here, he has found another fascinating set of subjects with the Troigrois family. He allows us insight into their world, weaving a tapestry of footage to show how they have orchestrated many carefully considered elements, culminating in a mastery of hospitality, celebration of food, experienced by visitors privileged enough to score a place for a memorable experience at the family’s restaurants and auberge.
Amid the delectable images of the food itself, a very loosely shaped narrative unfolds without the traditional “talking heads” or onscreen text as signposts. Instead, an experiential mode communicates an insider’s understanding of the structure and experience of the restaurant. Over several meal services, he weaves together threads spanning the family’s boutique hotel and other restaurants (including one run by other Troigros son, Leo) in their small empire as well as the network of purveyors from which they source the highest quality ingredients. If there is a core storyline, it is as a portrait of the evolving dynamic between paterfamilias Michel (the third generation of his esteemed family’s line of culinary stars) and his son César (a rising star whose influence in the family’s kitchens is ever-growing). But Wiseman also finds much more in the gently unfolding journey of food from farm to table.
The film is marked by delightful juxtapositions. Michel reviews a stack of five-figure wine list acquisitions; a boisterous group of young chefs are seen harvesting flowers from the property’s blossoming trees by climbing on each other’s shoulders. We see the brothers swooning over picturesque fungus at a farmer’s market; later we follow on a visit to the progressive pastures where a new generation of sustainable cattle rancher prioritizes things like animal welfare and the carbon capture of natural prairies. We’re treated to a visit a the cheesemaker whose aged creations fill one of the largest after dinner cheese plates I’ve ever seen. Elsewhere we overhear a conversation with a vintner who reflects on the benefits of biodiverse agroforestry in support of the health of the grapevines and the changing techniques from the next generation of winemakers. The film also spotlights the professionalism of the staff, showcasing daily preparations among the waitstaff who know the particulars of each table and converse knowledgeably with repeat guests and gastrotourists alike. One can appreciate their instinct to snap photos of each innovative dish, but there’s still a moment of cringe as an array of iPhones swoop out to document each plate.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of the kitchen itself are similarly riveting. Observing masters of their craft at work is relentlessly fascinating, be it in quiet preparation of the day’s ingredients or in the swift sequences of preparing a round of courses to go out with impeccable timing. The film abounds in these moments, from crayfish clinging to nets to the finishing touches being plated with precision. The full screen depiction of the fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses that are the building blocks of creatively plated dishes makes for an engrossing visuals. Along with The Taste of Things, it has been an exceptional year in cinema for those who appreciate the choreography of meal preparation as every bit as thrilling as an action sequence. The two films would certainly make a mouthwatering double feature, but be sure to book a meal in advance to satisfy the cravings stoked by their imagery.
Although the meals are prepared in a modern kitchen designed to be open and able to be run without raising one’s voice, Wiseman does capture some threads of occasional tension in service of perfection. A young chef whose technique left too much blood in the menu-bound veal brains gets a scolding from the master and a lesson in Escoffier’s time-tested cookbooks. Later, an extended debate finds the elder chef at odds with his younger colleagues about the amount of sriracha in a sauce accompanying a plate of kidneys. Details matter. But a disagreement about spice levels portends a constant intergenerational dialogue about the direction of cuisine. It’s reflection of the constancy of change and a commitment to evolving excellence. As the documentary winds down its final hour, like Michel Troisgros attending to each table, sharing anecdotes, discussing his past and future, we feel the overwhelming desire to linger just a little while longer in the glow of a supremely constructed experience.
Menus-Plaisirs–Les Troisgros continues its run at SIFF Cinema Egyptian through December 13th