American cinema-verite demigod Frederick Wiseman’s latest is a 6,000-course tasting menu of a documentary, like one of those supercuts with all the delicious food on offer in Studio Ghibli films. Most of the 95-year-old’s career has been dedicated to chronicling US institutions, but here he returns to the strain of Francophile work he has dipped into since the mid-90s (he lives in the country part-time). In this case, he infiltrates the Michelin triple-starred Le Bois sans Feuilles restaurant in Ouches in the Loire, and serves up four hours of hardcore gastronomy.
In long, eavesdroppy tableaux, Wiseman inventories every aspect of the business: recipe-brainstorming, market-stall recon, table-setting, meal preparation, supplier farms, clientele mouthgasms. This prandial haven is part of the Maison Troisgros business that has been run by the same family in nearby Roanne for four generations; Michel Troisgros is the current patriarch, but his son César is now head chef. Wiseman, eschewing narration as is his wont, lets us figure all this out while he follows his nose through the kitchens and dining spaces.
