'Hunger' brings style to questions about ambition
Netflix
It would be easy and not entirely inaccurate to dismiss “Hunger” as “Whiplash” in the kitchen. But the visual and emotional palette here does enough to compensate for the feeling that we’ve been down this clawing-for-approval-from-a-heartless-teacher road before.
Already feeling like her skills may be under-utilized at her family’s noodle shop, Aoy (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) jumps at the chance to work at the titular restaurant under Chef Paul (Nopachai Chaiyanam), a plate-throwing hardass who will do anything to please wealthy customers and nothing to facilitate small-talk. Inevitably, Paul dares Aoy to leave, and her professional growth comes with merciless training and a question of what she is willing to sacrifice to change her status.
The latter word is key; Kongdej Jaturanrasamee’s script repeatedly identifies food’s ability to differentiate between financial tiers, simultaneously admiring culinary arts while questioning at what point is the supposed quality dwarfed by the exclusivity of the experience. Directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, “Hunger” brings exactly the visual flourish needed to keep a story like this going no matter how many reality cooking competitions you’ve, uh, devoured.
“Hunger” does feel rote in its notions about the coldness of the upper class and the comfort of home, both in terms of family and the cooking that originates there. (This was basic in “The Menu” too.) Same goes for the idea that achievement comes from ruthlessness, and those with a conscience may choose to self-select out rather than compete in a world they prefer not to inhabit.
But the film isn’t merely serving leftovers; “Hunger” progressively acknowledges the reasons different people aim high and the difficulty in ever filling a need that may be inherently insatiable. That challenge is never easy to navigate, and it’s a point that can still feel wise even if you’ve heard it before.
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