Luke McWilliams gives his review of the 2020 comedy, The Food Club, starring Kirsten Olesen, Kirsten Lehfeldt and Stina Ekblad.
It is Christmas, in Denmark, where Marie (Kirsten Olesen) cancels her annual lunch with her best friends Vanja (Kirsten Lehfeldt) and Berling (Stina Ekblad) for the third year in a row. Marie is busy with her accounting firm that she shares with her husband Henrik (Peter Hesse Overgaard). On Christmas Day, the duo is gifted a trip to Italy to learn how to make local cuisine. Henrik, however, declines, telling Marie that he would like a separation instead.
The movie establishes that its characters in the 1960s were a very tight group that has loosened over the years. Now in their 60s, the three women have had lives of their own and are each facing an identity crisis: Vanja still grieves the loss of her husband; Berling is trying to hold onto her youth; and Marie must think of herself now that she does not have a husband or job. Perhaps a trip to Italy to learn about preparing the local fare will serve as a time for reconnecting and to redefine themselves, and each other?
Italy is captured beautifully, with sumptuous images of food and wine. Different members of the food group represent young love, differing opinions of life and an opportunity for new love. It is in this environment where Marie struggles with her metamorphosis, pushing her friendships to the brink as she painfully faces the reality of her life and emerging possibilities.
Verdict: The Food Club (Madklubben) is a humorous look at ageing and the power of community. 3 stars.
- Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net
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