Mostly Martha

Rating:
Summary: One For The Senses
Review: For lovers of foreign films this German creation is wonderful and a true gift for the senses.

I found this film to be well written despite the simplicity of the storyline. Martha (Martina Gedeck) is a head chef at a prestigious restaurant, her life is a mess but her culinary creations something to be celebrated. Her world is turned upside down when her sister is accidentally killed and Martha is left to care for her sister's daughter (Maxime Foerste). As she struggles to adapt to a new life and schedule that involves a depressed and independent niece, the restaurant she works for makes a few changes of its own and hires another chef (Sergio Castellitto) who adds a bit of Italian charm to the picture. All of the actors are superb but the food really makes an award winning presentation of its own.

This foreign film is so beautiful and appeals to every sense imaginable that I guarantee you will be up and cooking yourself a great meal after watching this one. With almost every scene filmed around a plate of elegant food your taste buds will water and your stomach will stir. Somehow you can even smell the basil, sage and pungent sauces brewing in the background. Alongside the extraordinary cooking is a joyous soundtrack of uplifting music to cater to your ears. The story is one of possibilities and new families being formed from all sorts of ingredients but mostly it's a purely sensual experience.


Rating:
Summary: Bravo
Review: Mostly Martha is a beautiful film. Beautiful in content and beautiful to look at. The characters are realistically drawn with richness and sensitivity. It's a film I go back to over and over.