Flux Gourmet

2022 film
  • Serena Armitage
  • Pietro Greppi
Starring
  • Asa Butterfield
  • Gwendoline Christie
  • Ariane Labed
  • Fatma Mohamed
  • Makis Papadimitriou
  • Richard Bremmer
  • Leo Bill
CinematographyTim SidellEdited byMátyás Fekete
Production
companies
  • Bankside Films
  • Blue Bear Film & TV
  • Head Gear Films
  • Metrol Technology
  • Lunapark Pictures
  • Red Breast Productions
Distributed byIFC Films
Release date
  • February 11, 2022 (2022-02-11) (Berlin)[1]
Running time
1 hour 51 minutesCountries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglishBox office$80,767[2][3]

Flux Gourmet is a 2022 black comedy film written and directed by Peter Strickland and starring Fatma Mohamed, Gwendoline Christie, Makis Papadimitriou, Ariane Labed, and Asa Butterfield.[4][5]

Synopsis

A trio of experimental performance artists led by a narcissistic, controlling woman named Elle di Elle, takes up residency at a remote artistic institution, run by a wealthy, enigmatic director named Jan Stevens, who is funding the project. A self-described "hack" journalist named Stones is hired to document the day-to-day activities of the group involving their process of "sonic catering" (where they extract disturbing ASMR made by the sounds from various foods) while dealing with unpleasant gastrointestinal disorders, for which tests are being administered by an on-site doctor. As Stones documents the artistic collective's power struggles, vendettas, rehearsals, performances, and sordid history, he increasingly becomes a participant in the artistic proceedings.

Cast

Production

Filming wrapped in July 2021.[6]

Release

In July 2021, it was announced that IFC Films acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[7] It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 11, 2022.[8][9][10] It also made it to 'World Cinema' section of 27th Busan International Film Festival to be screened in October 2022.[11]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, the film earned $3,780 from 19 theaters in its opening weekend.[12] It made $1,397 from six theaters the following weekend,[13] and $4,387 in its third.[14]

Critical response

The film has an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 80 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.1/10. The site's consensus states, "Flux Gourmet isn't for all tastes, but viewers attuned to writer-director Peter Strickland's unique wavelength will find this horror-laced satire a savory delight".[15] On Metacritic, the film had a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[16]

Pat Brown of Slant Magazine awarded the film two and a half stars out of four and wrote, "That being said, Strickland's playful mockery of performance art and excessively serious-minded "collectives" feels both insular and, at times, a shade too flavorless."[17] David Ehrlich of IndieWire graded the film a B+ and wrote, "As usual, Strickland has made a sumptuous meal out of social impropriety — a strange cinematic delicacy about the discomforts that need to be shared so that others don't have to be stomached."[18] Matthew Joseph Jenner of the International Cinephile Society awarded the film four and a half out of five stars, writing "Flux Gourmet is an absolute triumph, best enjoyed by those who accept that Strickland's work is undeniably an acquired taste, but one that offers a truly unforgettable experience, one that may even tempt us to go back for a second serving."[19]

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a negative review and wrote, "In fact, Flux Gourmet may well send audiences running for the loo, or else reaching for the barf bag, coming about as close to triggering the gag reflex as a film can without actually jamming a finger down your throat."[20] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Nevertheless, Strickland builds his own worlds with such a distinctive style — down to the fonts, the bilious shades of green and the textures of the silks — that the viewer can't help feeling pulled into his crazy maelstrom of quirk."[21] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian awarded the film three stars out of five and wrote, "Flux Gourmet may yet have a claim to cult-favourite status, but Strickland has given us a stronger, realer taste in the past."[22] Anna Smith of Deadline Hollywood gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Strickland has delivered another delicious character-driven drama that balances the amusingly surreal with the uncomfortably real — and it's a wild and witty ride."[23]

References

  1. ^ Alexander, Susannah (February 8, 2022). "Sex Education and Game of Thrones stars team up for bizarre new movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  2. ^ "Flux Gourmet". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Flux Gourmet". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  4. ^ King, Jack (7 February 2022). "'Flux Gourmet' Trailer Reveals a Colorful Culinary Catastrophe From Director Peter Strickland". Collider. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  5. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (February 10, 2022). "Asa Butterfield, Peter Strickland Talk Berlinale Selection 'Flux Gourmet'". Variety. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Jayson Cella (July 9, 2021). "Peter Strickland's 'Flux Gourmet,' Starring Gwendoline Christie and Asa Butterfield, Wraps Production". Collider. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Brent Lang (July 8, 2021). "IFC Films, Bankside Films Backing Peter Strickland's 'Flux Gourmet' Starring Asa Butterfield, Gwendoline Christie (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Zilko, Christian (February 7, 2022). "'Flux Gourmet' Trailer: Peter Strickland Brings Culinary Meta Horror to Berlin". IndieWire. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  9. ^ Russell, Shania (February 7, 2022). "Flux Gourmet Trailer: Peter Strickland Cooks Up A Feast Of Gastronomical Horror". Slash Film. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  10. ^ Grater, Tom (February 7, 2022). "'Flux Gourmet' Teaser: Peter Strickland's Latest Set For Berlin Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "Flux Gourmet". Busan International Film Festival. September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 25". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  13. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 26". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  14. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 27". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  15. ^ "Flux Gourmet". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "Flux Gourmet" – via www.metacritic.com.
  17. ^ Brown, Pat (February 21, 2022). "Flux Gourmet Review: Peter Strickland's Performance Art Satire Is a Light Meal". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Ehrlich, David (February 11, 2022). "'Flux Gourmet' Review: Peter Strickland's Latest Is a Flatulent Satire About the Limits of Good Taste". IndieWire. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Jenner, Matthew Joseph (February 16, 2022). "'Berlinale 2022 review: Flux Gourmet (Peter Strickland)". International Cinephile Society. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  20. ^ Debruge, Peter (February 11, 2022). "'Flux Gourmet' Review: Yucky Performance Art Satire Serves Up Plenty of Gags, Few Laughs". Variety. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  21. ^ Felperin, Leslie (February 11, 2022). "'Flux Gourmet': Film Review Berlin 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  22. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (February 11, 2022). "Flux Gourmet review – poet of the weird Peter Strickland moves farther from reality". The Guardian. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  23. ^ Smith, Anna (February 11, 2022). "Berlin Review: Peter Strickland's 'Flux Gourmet'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2022.

External links

  • Flux Gourmet at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
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Films directed by Peter Strickland