“The Cook”
Credits:
Written & Directed: Vincent Bossel
Starring: Guillaume Soubeyran
Run Time: 00:03:24
Available to stream? Yes, on YouTube.
In Vincent Bossel’s The Cook, a young nameless chef (Guillaume Soubeyran) carefully, and silently prepares a dish. The kitchen is empty, modern, clean, and sterile. The ingredients appear simple, yet, much like this film itself, the presentation is precise and beautiful. By the end of this short, the viewer is left questioning the idea of an individual’s potential— whether realized, or fantasized; whether in the past, future, or present. Though a word is never spoken, much is communicated. And even so, there is a wonder if there wasn’t more to be said, even if in a non-verbal way.
There are strong muscles being flexed here. In a runtime perfect for YouTube, the viewer is treated with pristine visuals, in large part thanks to Director of Photography Ludovic Matthey. Vincent Bossel, the film’s director, who also serves as the sole writer, makes strong and bold decisions, and Soubeyran, delivers a stark, chilling, and captivating performance. Ultimately though, much like our nameless chef, Bossel chooses style of substance. While all the ingredients of this short film are strong, they are, as it turns out, individually, stronger than the whole, and the recipe does not quite yield what it leads on.
The Cook leaves me hungry for more, and one has to wonder, is that the point, or was this simply meant to be the work of a test kitchen— an experimentation of a film, rather than a full dish of a story.
3/5 Stars
The Cook (Vincent Bossel, 2022) | A young chef cooks up a mysterious dish...