Comfort. Fuel. Practicality. Decadence. We all eat, but how we conceptualize food is a different question altogether. Whether it’s perfectly framed shots of sizzling meat or the nauseating reality of the United States’ fast–food scene, food on the big screen never fails to invoke a visceral reaction. Here are some of Street’s favorite depictions—from the appealing to the appalling.
The Menu (Mark Mylod, 2022)
Have you ever found the courses at fine–dining restaurants a little uncanny? If so, The Menu is a must watch. A dark comedy that satirizes high–end cuisine, the film follows the sarcastic Margot (Anya Taylor Joy) and her arrogant, fine–dining–obsessed date Tyler (Nicholas Hoult). They board a boat and head to the middle of the ocean to eat experimental food dishes—one of which is a breadless bread plate. The already weird food is served by an equally weird chef (Ralph Fiennes), who delivers every line in monotone and with a stiff smile—almost as if he’s reading from a script. Each course brought out by the chef is curated for one of the boat’s passengers, exposing each of their hidden secrets, the chef’s own hidden agenda, and, of course, highlighting the absurdness of fine–dining restaurant courses throughout.
—Damya Woodall, staff writer
Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
Few things scream “comfort” like a Studio Ghibli film, and Ponyo is no exception. Following a goldfish girl and her journey from fish to human and back again, it perfectly captures homesickness and the tension of trying to figure out where you belong. After Ponyo (Noah Cyrus) undergoes a transformation that quite literally throws the world out of balance by causing a tsunami that floods her town, she’s caught between her father’s desire to get her back and her own desire to live with her new human love Sosuke (Frankie Jonas), unsure whether to ultimately prioritize her family or herself. In the midst of Ponyo’s indecision, Sosuke’s mother, Lisa (Tina Fey), makes her a bowl of ramen—a meal that warms her in every sense of the word. In one of the film’s most memorable moments, a simple bowl of soup embodies the notion of finding home in an unfamiliar place.
—Liana Seale, Film & TV editor
The Substance (Coralie Fargeat, 2024)
The Substance is a film obsessed with the body and its disintegration. Director Coralie Fargeat delivers a true spectacle of this fleshly horror: A brassy, retro–futurist aesthetic sets off the story of an aging starlet (Demi Moore) who takes a mysterious serum to restore her youth but finds that turning back the clock has grotesque consequences. The film delights in revealing the repulsive in the mundane; in one pivotal scene, the camera tracks the fatty drip off a glistening turkey wing with the same sickly, fascinated disgust as it would a pile of viscera. A word of advice: perhaps hold off on eating when viewing.
—Beatrice Han, Arts writer
Still Walking (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2008)
Still Walking chronicles a loaded day in the Yokoyama family home as siblings, spouses, and children gather to commemorate their eldest brother’s death. Meals are the rituals of family life, but they are also the stage where buried family tensions play out—the shadow of the deceased son looms over the family table, and deep–rooted grief, unspoken rivalries, and tacit expectations fill every silence, instance of strained politeness, and nostalgic recollection. The quiet authority of the father (Yoshio Harada) sits at the head of the table; the precise cooking of the mother (Kirin Kiki) sustains and controls. The son (Hiroshi Abe) eats with guilt and defiance, refusing to be compared with the shadow of his brother. His wife (Yui Natsukawa), polite and conscientious, tastes the family’s scrutiny with every bite. The daughter (You) fills silence with small talk, performing cheer to bridge the distance. Eating together binds them, yet every bite reminds them of absence and of love rationed and reheated.
—Leo Huang, staff writer
Super Size Me (Morgan Spurlock, 2004)
We all know that fast food is bad for you, but what happens if it’s the only thing you eat? How long before your health noticeably changes? This is the question that Morgan Spurlock sets out to answer in Super Size Me. For 30 days, Spurlock exclusively eats from McDonald’s and documents it on film, routinely visiting doctors to track dozens of health metrics. From throwing up on day four to gaining 24 pounds in one month, this film shows his slow deterioration up close. Health research, statistics, and legal precedents are baked into the documentary throughout, analyzing the ways in which a corrupt system has infiltrated all of our lives. In the profit–driven United States, the health crisis is a systemic problem: The landscape is set up to render certain foods less accessible. Still, the balance between narratives of corporate and personal responsibility is hard to strike. Sitting in the back row of a dimly lit classroom in eighth grade, I swore off McDonald’s, vowing to feel guilty every time I craved a burger. Now, rewatching the film, I’m struck by how the language and depiction of obesity can sometimes venture into disparaging territory. Nonetheless, the central message remains relevant today. It’s up to you to decide what to make of it.
—Laura Gao, staff writer
Eat Drink Man Woman (Ang Lee, 1994)
Growing up, my mom always told me her favorite movie was Eat Drink Man Woman. The English title is nonsensical, and my elementary–level Mandarin vocabulary meant I never really understood what could be so great about it. But finally, the year before I left for college, I sat down and watched the film with her, and wow—it didn’t disappoint. The final film in Ang Lee’s Father Knows Best trilogy follows three adult sisters (Kuei–Mei Yang, Chien–Lien Wu, and Yu–Wen Wang) navigating love, life, and tradition along with their widowed father (Sihung Lung), an aging chef who’s losing his sense of taste. It’s both heartwrenchingly sad and achingly funny—the perfect movie for any occasion. And even if you avoid subtitles like the plague, Lee will seduce you with the most delectable opening I’ve ever seen. Expert knifework pares a fish into pieces. Meat and onions sizzle as hot oil is repeatedly poured. Fingers move smoothly to fold dumplings into fruition. The memory of the movie alone is enough to make my stomach rumble.
—Chenyao Liu, Film & TV beat
