collected writings

The Taste Of Others

The Bozeman Film Festival's fall season opens with The Taste of Others , a funny and charming film by first-time French director Agnes Jaoui. Jaoui also co-wrote and stars, so critics have been quick to label her as the female Woody Allen. Such comparisons are not without merit, as The Taste of Others incorporates many hallmarks of Allen's films; a very talented ensemble cast, meandering and intertwined group of stories, and a respect for high culture and other things deemed in "good taste" while remaining on the safe side of a snobbish attitude.

Snobbery and differing opinions of taste drive The Taste of Others , personified dramatically by Castella (Jean-Pierre Bacri), an industrialist who leads an uninspired life under the control of his interior decorator wife. To complete a business deal, Castella signs up for English lessons, but lacks the patience or the desire to get past "the."

That night, his wife drags him to a local theatrical performance, where Castella falls in love with the lead actress. She is none other than the English teacher, Clara, (Anne Alvaro) but at first Castella does not recognize her because, in the theatre, he is surrounded by the aura of Art and Good Taste.

He pursues Clara, a member of the local artsy set, but she continually rejects his advances, along with his crass tastes and decidedly materialistic values. Castella persists, however, because not only has he fallen in love with Clara, but also in love with the idea of a bohemian life based on art, answers and questions, and a personal search for taste that until this point Castella never knew existed.

Naturally, this causes some friction on the home front. Castella buys a painting and hangs it in his home, much to his wife's horror. Whether the painting is "good" is not the point; it is his painting, and that makes it special.

The relationship between Castella and his wife is played out between other members of the ensemble cast. Castella joins all the characters in a search for a definition of taste, and we get to experience the evolution of taste both as a superficial means of judgment, and also as an avenue towards greater self-appreciation.

The Taste of Others is a good example of a film that would not normally be made in Hollywood. Its acting style and pacing make this film distinctly French; the questions it asks about the meaning and value of taste are often considered more European than American. This is not to say that Americans cannot enjoy this movie, we have just as good of taste as anyone else.

This is precisely the point of the film. There is no single definition of what is good taste, there is no right or wrong. In the end your taste only creates and defines the type of people you choose to share it with... and maybe, what kind of movies you choose to watch.