''Bon Appétit'' is a 2010

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

film directed by David Pinillos and written by Juan Carlos Rubio, David Pinillos, and

Paco Cabezas Paco Cabezas (born January 11, 1978) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter, best known for directing '' The Appeared'', '' Rage'' and '' Mr. Right''. Career In 2007, Cabezas wrote and directed Spanish language horror film '' The Appeared ...

. The story is based on a young Spanish chef working at a prestigious restaurant in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He falls in love with a work-partner but she is in love with their boss. The film features

Unax Ugalde Unax Ugalde Gutiérrez (born 27 November 1978) is a Spanish-Basque actor. Early life Unax Ugalde Gutiérrez was born on 27 November 1978, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country. He is the son of a worker at the Altos Hornos and a housewife. While ...

and

Nora Tschirner Nora Marie Tschirner (born 12 June 1981) is a German film actress, musician and former television and radio presenter. Early life Nora Tschirner was born in East Berlin (then East Germany) to the documentary film director and the radio journa ...

Plot

Daniel (

) is a young and ambitious Spanish chef who just realized his dream: working at a famous restaurant managed by star chef Thomas Wackerle (Herbert Knaup). Due to his extraordinary talent, Daniel soon progresses in Wackerle's demanding kitchen. He is attracted to Hanna (

), the attractive

sommelier A sommelier ( or or ; ), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the wine steward in hau ...

of the restaurant. One evening, Daniel and Hanna are walking in the city, talking about life, love, and relationships. Daniel expresses his opinion that love is not at all like a romantic movie. After saying this, Hanna kisses Daniel. This unexpected situation provides a turning point in Daniel's tidy and organized life. He faces a difficult question: Is it worth risking his professional career for love? ''Bon Appétit'' is a film telling the story of friends who dare to cross the thin line dividing friendship and romantic love. The film talks about conventional people and includes scenes shot in some of the most picturesque places of

Cast

Production

''Bon Appétit'' is the first film directed by David Pinillos. Producer Pedro Uriol said that he and Pinillos are friends who have known each other for many years. Pinillos had worked as a film editor, but not as a director, but according to Uriol, he had the most important qualities in a director: sensitivity and technique. The screenplay was written by David Pinillos, Juan Carlos Rubio and

. Pinillos had worked with important directors like editing worker like Álex de la Iglesia or Daniel Sánchez Arévalo. Pinillos wanted to tell a story about that "thin red line" that divides love and friendship and that everyone has occasionally, and how that crossing changes and complicates life. Both Pinillos and Uriol wanted a protagonist who goes to another country because that suggests a new beginning. According to Pinillos and Uriol, it is curious how a person can find it easier to open one's heart to strangers than to family or friends. Pinillos said that ''Bon Appétit'' is inspired by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

film ''

Before Sunrise ''Before Sunrise'' is a 1995 romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater and co-written by Linklater and Kim Krizan. The first installment in the ''Before'' trilogy, it follows Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) as they meet ...

'' by

Richard Linklater Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...

and the French film ''

L'Auberge espagnole ''L'Auberge Espagnole'' (; literally: "the Spanish inn"), also known as ''Pot Luck'' (UK) and ''The Spanish Apartment'' (Australia), is a 2002 French-Spanish film directed and written by Cédric Klapisch. It is a co-production of Mate Production ...

'' by

Cédric Klapisch Cédric Klapisch ( ; born 4 September 1961) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Klapisch was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to ...

. Morena Films, the studio, is got used to work in European spheres and the producer likes to work with international co-producers. ''Bon Appétit'' found other studios for European market: Morena Films from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, Zodiac Pictures from

and Egoli Tossell from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Thanks for studios and other producer companies like Beta Films (distributor of ''

The Lives of Others ''The Lives of Others'' (german: link=no, Das Leben der Anderen, ) is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film directorial debut. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berlin ...

''), Pixstar, Italian producer and television and European financing programmes by EURIMAGES and MEDIA was possible to realise ''Bon Appétit'' in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

cinemas with a 2.8 million euros in budget. In

, channel television implied were ETB and TVE. Like there are actors from many European countries, the film was shot in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

although there are parts in

, French and

languages.

Critical response and distribution

''Bon Appétit'' has positive reviews in Spain,

and also Germany. The film had its premiere at the Malaga Film Festival in April 2010 with a positive reaction from the Spanish critics. At the festival

won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In October, the film was in the

Valladolid Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...

. In cinema magazines, ''Bon Appétit'' has 7,3/10 with a good results. In addition, ''Bon Appétit'' won

Goya Award for Best New Director The Goya Award for Best New Director ( es, Premio Goya a la Mejor Dirección Novel, links=no) is the Goya awarded yearly to the best debuting director. The award was first presented at the fourth edition of the Goya Awards with Ana Díez being the ...

for David Pinillos. The film screened at the

Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival The Festival do Rio is an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-mo ...

meeting positive reviews and critical acclaim, as well as at Toulouse Cinespaña, and the

Stony Brook Film Festival The Stony Brook Film Festival, produced by Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, presents a program of new, independent films every summer since 1996. Features and short films from the U.S. and around the world are screened ove ...

. ''Bon Appétit'' was released in

on 12 November 2010.Bon Appétit is going to arrive in November
/ref> It was released in

and

on 25 November 2010.

References

External links

* * * *
La Butaca magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bon Appetit 2010 films 2010 romantic drama films Spanish romantic drama films English-language Spanish films German romantic drama films English-language German films Swiss romantic drama films English-language Swiss films Italian romantic drama films English-language Italian films Films shot in Switzerland Films shot in Spain Films shot in Germany Regency Enterprises films 2010s English-language films 2010s German films Films about chefs Films set in Zürich