Hollywood has been inundated with“eat-the-rich” filmsfor the past twenty years as society grapples with an increasingly tenuous class disparity. Theresults of this emerging genrehave had their own disparity, as films like the Best Picture winnerParasiteastutely criticized the upper class, and films likeSaltburnclumsily approached what might drive the less privileged to take revenge on the wealthy. Netflix’s latest film,Delicious, which debuted at Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, isperhaps one of the worst to take on the concept in recent memory.
What Is ‘Delicious’ About?
Written and directed byNele Mueller-Stöfen,Deliciousfocuses on an affluent German family’s summer holiday to their picture-perfect villa in Provence. John (FahriYardım) and Esther (ValeriePachner), and their two children, Phillipp (CasparHoffmann) and Alba (NailaSchuberth), are fairly uninteresting. John and Esther’s relationship isn’t necessarily on the rocks, but it’s clear that the passion between them is long-dead.This subplot is so blandly presented that it’s hard to find a reason to carewhen his affair is later revealed, and she steps outside their marriage. Coming home from dinner in town one night, John accidentally hits a young woman walking down the road. Worried that John might go to jail for drinking and driving, Esther convinces the girl, Teodora (Carla Díaz), to come home with them instead of going to the hospital.
At first, Teodora seems sweet, if a little rough around the edges. She returns to their gated home the following day, claiming to have been fired from her job due to her injury, and offering to work as a housekeeper for the family. John is hesitant to take her on, but Esther pushes for it, clearly worried Teodora might still report the accident to the authorities.Teodora quickly ingratiates herself with the family, and uses their weaknesses to her advantage.She appeals to Esther’s need to be liked and needed, John’s need to be respected, Alba’s need for a confidant, and Phillip’s burgeoning crush on her. But through it all,Deliciousnever gives a real reason to root for whatever Teodora is up to. Sure, drinking and driving is a terrible thing, but beyond this incident there’s nothing particularly loathsome about the family. They are kind to Teodora, taking her out to dinner and on trips, gifting her clothing, in addition to paying her way. Perhaps this was Mueller-Stöfen’s intention, an attempt to suggest that the wealthy are unredeemable, regardless of their actions.But it’s so poorly handled, that there’s never a reason to care whether they live or die.
‘Delicious’ Is Wholly Unappetizing — But Not Because of Cannibalism
Delicioustakes a moreliteral approach toward the whole “eat the rich” thing, but it falls short of the rich nuance that cannibalism can bring to a plot. WhileBones and Allhad little to do with class war, the film took a novel approach towards the concept of intimacy and the act of consumption. Consumption, or ratheroverconsumption, is on display in Mueller-Stöfen’s film, but it’s vastly understated. John and Esther’s family own carbon bikes, which Teodora takes an interest in, but the importance of this plot device is only revealed after one turns to Google. How many people know offhandedly that carbon bikes cost anywhere between $1,000 and $65,000?But overconsumption is also on display with the cannibals, who leave their harvested meat to rot and molder in their fridges, and indulge in the excess of cigarettes, alcohol, and sex.Deliciousfails to show its underclass cast as anything more than dangerous outsiders encroaching on the picture-perfect lives of the upperclass.
While the class roles are reversed, the cannibals here more closely resemble the rich inFresh, who feast on human flesh because they can. There is no true motive ascribed to the actions ofDelicious’ cannibals, beyond a vague notion that they feel justified because they have been locked out of a higher station in life. The film makes no effort to address the fact that John and Esther are Germans vacationing in France, but seems to paint Teodora’s heritage as an Andalusian as a negative quality. Something to be wary of. This framing is further complicated by the fact that her accomplices in the crime come from a variety of backgrounds that stand at odds with the family.If anything, Mueller-Stöfen’s script reads like a cautionary tale for the rich to avoid interlopers that might threaten to eat them out of house and home.
‘Delicious’ Is a Disappointing Critique of Class Disparity
Deliciousmay be an ill-conceived film, but there are some brilliant performances within it. In particular, Díaz is terrifyingly eerie in her role. Teodora walks a fine line between being a doe-eyed innocent and a menacing force of chaos.Watching her play the family like a finely tuned instrument is a delight, even if the end results are dreadfully disappointing.In between the lackluster plot and confoundingly ugly, over-saturated cinematography, there are moments of true intrigue. Like Esther’s willingness to engage in an affair with a man who is, quite glaringly, from a completely different world than her, which speaks to her true nature. Though, regardless of how she might actually view those “beneath her” is never a point of contention or even a developed idea. Teodora’s immediate connection to Alba is another compelling avenue of storytelling that is only half-baked and far from satisfying in its unearned conclusion. If you’re hoping for a biting critique of how the wealthy pick and choose who they allow within their world based on how they can serve their needs—look elsewhere.
If you have been eagerly looking fora mash-up ofParasiteandFreshthat fundamentally misunderstands why both films resonated with audiences, by catering to the deeply ingrained xenophobia of the upper class, thenDeliciousis the film for you.
Deliciousis now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
An unappetizing attempt at the eat-the-rich genre.
Delicious follows a young woman hired as a maid by a wealthy German family during their summer holiday in Provence. Her presence gradually and profoundly alters the lives of the family members, leading to unexpected and dramatic consequences.
