2010 | UK | Colour | 96′ | Digital File
Director: S. J. Clarkson
Screenwriter: Lee Hall
Cinematographer: Balazs Bolygo
Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Ken Stott, Victoria Hamilton, Freddie Highmore, Oscar Kennedy
In English with Chinese and English subtitles
Nigel Slater, the renowned chef and food writer, was not only awarded the Order of the British Empire but also hailed as a British national treasure. His culinary talent became apparent in his teens, despite his mother being a poor cook who disdained fresh ingredients, but favouring tinned vegetables instead. When meals went wrong, she would simply serve toasts for supper. In spite of this, maternal love proved irreplaceable and ignited Nigel’s desire to cook for himself. After his mother’s passing, the arrival of the exquisitely skilled and alluring Mrs Potter spurred him to compete with her for his father’s affection and appetite. Adapted from Slater’s memoir, director Clarkson transforms these intimate childhood recollections into a drama. Food injects colours into bleak realities: toasts symbolise longing for his deceased mother, the pork pie evokes his first same-sex attraction, while the textured lemon meringue pie becomes the battleground in his rivalry with his stepmother.
Director: S. J. Clarkson
Screenwriter: Lee Hall
Cinematographer: Balazs Bolygo
Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Ken Stott, Victoria Hamilton, Freddie Highmore, Oscar Kennedy
In English with Chinese and English subtitles
Nigel Slater, the renowned chef and food writer, was not only awarded the Order of the British Empire but also hailed as a British national treasure. His culinary talent became apparent in his teens, despite his mother being a poor cook who disdained fresh ingredients, but favouring tinned vegetables instead. When meals went wrong, she would simply serve toasts for supper. In spite of this, maternal love proved irreplaceable and ignited Nigel’s desire to cook for himself. After his mother’s passing, the arrival of the exquisitely skilled and alluring Mrs Potter spurred him to compete with her for his father’s affection and appetite. Adapted from Slater’s memoir, director Clarkson transforms these intimate childhood recollections into a drama. Food injects colours into bleak realities: toasts symbolise longing for his deceased mother, the pork pie evokes his first same-sex attraction, while the textured lemon meringue pie becomes the battleground in his rivalry with his stepmother.