Bon Appétit (film)

Plot

Daniel (Unax Ugalde) 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 (Nora Tschirner), the attractive sommelier 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 isn't 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 your 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 Zurich, Switzerland.

Cast

Production

Bon Appétit is the first film who David Pinillos realizes. Pedro Uriol, the producer, said that he and Pinillos are very long friends and they meet themselves since many years. Uriol saw many good quailities in Pinillos. Nowadays, Pinillos was only editing worker but Pinillos has many experiences in cinema and he had the two most imporante qualities for a director: sensitivity and technique according to Uriol. The screenplay was written by David Pinillos, Juan Carlos Rubio and Paco Cabezas.

Pinillos had worked with important directors like editing worker like Álex de la Iglesia or Daniel Sánchez Arévalo and he knew many cinema genders like comedy or drama. Pinillos wanted to tell a story about that "thin red line" that divides love and friendship and everybody have crossed some times and that event gets complicated and changes the life. Both Pinillos and Uriol want a character who goes to another country because that implies to start again because, according to Pinillos and Uriol, it's so curious like a person to open one's heart to foreign people is easier like family or friends. Pinillos said that Bon Appétit is inspired in American film Before Sunrise by Richard Linklater and the French film L'Auberge espagnole by Cédric Klapisch.

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, Zodiac Pictures from Switzerland and Egoli Tossell from Germany.

Thanks for studis and other producer companies like Beta Films (distributor of The Lives of Others), Pixstar, Italian producer and television and European financing programmes by EURIMAGES and MEDIA was possible to realise Bon Appétit in Spanish, Swiss and German cinemas with a 2.8 million euros in budget. In Spain, channel television implied were ETB and TVE.

Like there are actors from many European countries, the film was shot in English although there are parts in Spanish, French and German languages.

Critical response and Distribution

Bon Appétit has positive reviews in Spain, Switzerland 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 Unax Ugalde won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In October, the film was in the Valladolid Film Festival. In cinema magazines, Bon Appétit has 7,3/10 with a good results. In addition, Bon Appétit won Goya Award for Best New Director for David Pinillos.

The film had premieres in another festival like Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival with positive reviews and it received critical acclaim. In France was in Toulouse Cinespaña fête du cinéma and in United States was premiere in Stony Brook Film Festival.

Bon Appétit was released in Spain on 12 November 2010. In Germany and Switzerland was released 25 November 2010.