Musings on Hunger (2023)

Hunger (2023) 是一套Netflix 電影，故事發生在泰國，講述一個年輕女子Aoy天天幫父親開的食檔炒麵，但有一天有人邀請她加入名廚Paul的團隊，這正是Aoy夢寐以求的機會。Aoy起初很不習慣烹調Paul的高級菜式，不過經過不斷的努力，她在Paul的團隊終於能夠有立足之地。然而，這一切只是事情的開端，Aoy慢慢在高級烹飪世界爬升的同時，亦漸漸發現真正成功脫穎而出的代價……

這套電影雖然有點長，故事亦不是很新鮮，但角色的演繹和對烹飪情節的拍攝手法令Hunger 頗特別，值得一看。Hunger亦令我不禁想起一套題材表面上類似的電影：The Menu (2022)。兩套電影同樣是探討高級烹飪的黑暗面，帶出很多人會為了追夢而犧牲快樂或違背良心，但The Menu 明顯是恐怖片或驚悚片，而Hunger卻只是用了一點驚悚片的拍攝手法，但其實是一套劇情片。Hunger的節奏較慢一點，亦相對比較輕鬆和樂觀；The Menu 就較沉重，氣氛和情節都比較黑暗。其實兩套電影我都覺得不錯，但The Menu略有點誇張。

反思這兩套電影的題材令我想到每個人都要有自己的夢想和興趣，而能夠把個人的夢想、興趣和工作結合起來當然是很完美的，但是亦要記住保持對工作和興趣的熱誠，否則工作就只會變成一個不帶來快樂的過程；記住不能為名利而出賣良心，否則夢想和工作的結合就會扭曲了，變成一個只是用來得到利益的工具，自己也會變成一個空殼。所以，我覺得無論做什麼工作也好（烹飪、寫作、 設計等等），最重要是保持熱誠和良心。

Hunger (2023) is a Netflix film set in Thailand about a young woman named Aoy who helps with her father's small eatery, frying noodles every day. One day, she is invited to go for a job working in the kitchen of the famous Chef Paul, a job opportunity she has been yearning for to get away from the monotony of it all. Aoy starts her tenure in Paul's kitchen as an inexperienced cook, not used to cooking haute cuisine, but through her grit and determination, she manages to find a place for herself there, working under Chef Paul. However, this is only the beginning, and as Aoy climbs higher and higher in the world of haute cuisine, she is confronted with the price of success...

The film is a little long for my taste, and its narrative and themes aren't exactly fresh, but the characters and the ways in which the culinary arts are framed are what makes the film special, so I would still recommend this movie. Watching Hunger actually reminded me of another film, The Menu (2022), as both have superficial similarities in theme, exploring the dark side of haute cuisine. They both show how, in the pursuit of fame and success, many are willing to give up their happiness and even their morals. They differ stylistically, of course, with The Menu being a horror-thriller while Hunger takes some elements from thrillers but is ultimately a drama film. Hunger is slower in its pace, and is relatively light and optimistic, while The Menu is darker in terms of plot and atmosphere. I actually enjoyed both films, though I think The Menu was a little over-the-top.

Reflecting on both films reminded of the fact that we all need to have dreams, and to be able to meld your dreams and your work together is a real privilege, but we must retain our passion for our work, or else it will become a joyless slog; we must retain our morality during our work and never compromise our integrity for fame and fortune, or else our work and our dreams will be warped and twisted into tools used only for our own benefit at the expense of others, twisting our very selves into empty shells without empathy. So, I think that no matter what we do, be it cooking, writing, design, etc., the most important thing is to keep our passion and our morality intact.