Despite the fact I find the world of snooty celebrity chefs and haute cuisine tiresome, the sub-genre of drama/thriller that follows a perfectionist chef or a restaurant crew is fascinating to me. It’s the joy of seeing excellence working at the top of its game… it works regardless of the subject matter.

Hunger is a Netflix Thai film about a cook at her average family restaurant who gets offered a position at a top fine dining restaurant ruled by a perfectionist chef who only serves the elite.

Like many films in this “chef” sub-genre, Hunger makes the art of cooking look good. Unlike most films in this sub-genre, it often makes consuming said food creepy. What would usually be the culmination of foodies enjoying their meals comes across more as an uncomfortable horror show. And not because the twist is that they are eating human flesh (they aren’t) but just because the movie wants to pound home a social message.

A message that is pretty basic and a little sophomoric. Yes, Hunger is et another film about how awful the rich and powerful are. We’ve seen this a bunch over the past few years and it’s not like the problem will ever go away… but the subtlety is severely lacking here and I’m not convinced the film makes the best argument for its plot progression.

Which isn’t to say there aren’t some great moments to be had. Its scenes of unchecked egos in the kitchen are often very strong. We want our lead to beat this smug chef… though I honestly more often wanted her to just quit and leave these people to their just desserts (pun intended). Which means I cared and wanted the best for the main character. On the other hand, the movie’s 2hr 15min runtime was a little much and the film lost momentum in its second (and third) act.

This is a pretty good film though, marred a little by its blunt and obvious social message. I enjoyed the acting and felt the drama and creepy scenes of people consuming mass quantities were very good. It’s a solid film that maybe didn’t need to be as long as it was or as soap-boxy.

Score: 78