Bringing to the table a new satirical thriller, Disney+ Hotstar, premiered The Menu on January 4. Here, fine dining finds a new definition as an elite group of guests on an island gets served more than just a lavish tasting menu. Directed by Mark Mylod and produced by Searchlight Pictures, the thriller stars Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, Paul Adelstein, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Rob Yang, Mark St. Cyr, and John Leguizamo.
The film revolves around a weekend escapade to a coastal island in the Pacific Northwest, where a couple joins several other guests to eat at an exclusive restaurant, Hawthorn. Here, the reclusive yet globally celebrated Chef Julian Slowik (played by Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a one-of-a-kind spread for his guests. Every course, immaculately served by Slowik’s army of servers, reveals deep secrets and unexpected dishes.
Explaining his role as Slowik, the Academy Award® nominated Fiennes told financialexpress.com, “He’s come to loathe the elite consumer, and himself, for being corrupted by them. They’re a clientele that can never be satisfied. He’s a perfectionist and constantly having to maintain a level of perfection for people who never really appreciate it. The appeal of the script was that it considers the whole spectrum of the characters in a framework of a dark comedy.”
Director Mylod who was determined to not present the character just as a caricature told us, “Slowik is quite a complex character. I wanted to show his dedication to the elevation and innovation of his artform, to the point of putting his own life on the line – so mesmerizing and extraordinary. Ralph and I were both very determined not to present the character as a caricature. We wanted to find his humanity and his pain, and understand his actions. Not to forgive or condone them, but to at least give them context and authenticity as best as we could.”
Preparing for his role, Fiennes also spent quite some time on set with Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn who brought to life the menu that appears in the film and consulted with the filmmakers, to learn about how a chef relates to their kitchen staff.
“I had the cliché of the chaotic kitchen in my head, with the chef shouting over everything. But when Dominique told me about her kitchen and how she liked to work, that is how I saw Slowik’s kitchen: The control and the power are in the kitchen staff’s dedication to the chef and his food. There is no loudness or violence. Just a nod, a look, and little mutterings of correction or encouragement,” recalled Fiennes.
Watch Ralph Fiennes serve humour, darkness, and absurdity as Chef Slowik in Disney+ Hotstar’s satirical thriller, The Menu.