Entre les Bras - 3 stars, 2 generations, 1 kitchen

In 1992, Michel Bras, a Michelin-starred chef, opened his hotel-restaurant Le Suquet in the idyllic Aubrac heights, and just a few years later he was awarded three Michelin stars for it. Bras has worked at the exceptional restaurant for almost twenty years, immortalizing his love of the region and of cooking in unique creations. But now the time has come to hand over the helm to his son Sébastien, who has been working with (or for) his father since 1987. A drastic experience for both men, whom filmmaker Paul Lacoste accompanied with his camera for a year in the time leading up to the handover.

Entre les Bras - 3 Stars, 2 Generations, 1 Kitchen shows the work of the two men in calm images, observing a very discreetly taking place process of cutting the cord, showing in a reserved and sensitive way how difficult it can be to let go. But Paul Lacoste, who already directed a documentary about Michel Bras ten years ago, has not only staged a portrait of the two chefs, their work and their restaurant with this quasi-sequel. The film is also a homage to the Aubrac region, to the culinary tradition of the region and to the family par excellence. Lacoste primarily lets his images do the talking, taking himself completely back and acting almost exclusively as an observer.

This makes the whole thing seem almost too quiet at times. But since both Michel and Sébastien are rather introverted people who don't display any great emotional outbursts and communicate a lot through body language and facial expressions, this completely unagitated staging seems absolutely fitting. The interviews conducted with father and son, but also with other members of the family, show very nicely how deep-rooted everyone's love for the work, the region and the legacy Bras leaves behind is. But they also show that Sébastien wants to go his very own way, succeeding but not replicating his father's world-famous restaurant.

Entre les Bras - 3 Stars, 2 Generations, 1 Kitchen is a very engaging documentary despite its slowness and quietness, combining some very amusing but also moving and extremely human moments into a tasty whole. Whether as a culinary love letter or a sympathetic father-son portrait, Paul Lacoste's film works very well on both levels. If you're interested in the arts of Michel Bras, if you want to learn more about the Aubrac region, or if you just appreciate nice family portraits, you'll definitely enjoy this documentary. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp