Starring: Kirsten Olesen, Stina Ekblad, Kirsten Lehfeldt, Michele Venitucci, Troels Lyby, Rasmus Botoft, Mia Lyhne
Any film that has something about food in it usually gets my attention but you can't just a film by it's title sometimes. The Danish film Food Club isn't really a story about food as it is a location mostly and the uncommon ground that ties friends and strangers together.
This film is reminiscent of the American film Ex-wives club only in the fact that the lead actresses are 3 women of a certain age who are friends.
These friends have a long history after becoming a trio when they were young and in school and before they ventured out into real life. As life does, it got in the way of them all finding the time to connect over the many years of their busy lives. In one day it all changed as Marie's illusion of her happy life changed. They all found themselves solo at the same time again after the 44 year marriage of Marie falls apart because of her husbands new interest and it leaves Marie blindsided. Her kids give the couple a gift of a Food Club trip to Puglia, Italy for Christmas, and instead of not going or going solo, she rounds up her childhood longtime friends Berling and Vanja to join her and that's when the awakening begins. The food club is set in a small town in Puglia, Italy where people from all over stay at a villa and learn how to cook traditional Italian food with local ingredients. Who doesn't want to eat fresh Italian food in Italy? Well it seems for some people that's just not enough to make them happy.
By the time you hit middle age you generally get put into a certain box and you stay there and accept it because it's easier than it is to break out of the box but when life gives you a reason to change you need to jump in with the people who were there through thick and thin.
This isn't a mind blowing experimental film but a portrait of a long life of friendship of women who followed the rules mostly. It's nice to see 3 lead characters who are diverse in personality and don't fit into Hollywood stereotypes but have real lives that you may be able to identify with if you were of that vintage. It's beautifully acted and the characters are complex.Release Date: March 19, 2021 - Available on Amazon Prime and VOD
Director: Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg
Writer: Anne-Marie Olesen
Producers: Nina Lyng, Eva Juel Hammerich
Executive Producers: Adriano Bassi, Lara Calligaro, Tine Klint, Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg, Nynne Selin Eidnes, Nina LyngDistribution Company: Samuel Goldwyn Films
