A Full Belly, A Happy Heart

Published on October 10, 2011

By JENNIFER CHAN
Bulatlat.com

Watching foreign films can be a breath of fresh air; and Instituto Cervantes’ Spanish Film Festival has a lot of good films.

In Fuera de carta (Chef’s Special), this year’s first offering, it’s not only the language or the culture that excites you; it’s the novelty of the story-telling. Gone are the usual action scenes and CGI effects audiences have come to expect from American movies. Gone are the cheesy titles and heavy displays of familial affection in most Filipino films. Directed by Nacho G. Velilla, Fuera de carta’s plot is simple and the portrayals just so.

The story more or less starts in Xantarella’s kitchen where viewers are introduced to Maxi (Javier Cámara), the owner and high lord of the restaurant. He fires off orders left and right, giving everyone an idea of his brand of kitchen dictatorship. It is an exciting and highly volatile environment—one that is heightened by Ramiro’s (Fernando Tejero) news of a Michelin critic sitting at their table. Needless to say, the entire kitchen goes loco. To Maxi, earning a Michelin star is the culmination of all his hard work and the one thing that he cares about the most.

Until, that is, the day that he finds himself saddled with Edu (Junio Valverde) and Alba (Alejandra Lorenzo)—his children from a previous relationship. At this point, it must be mentioned that Maxi is gay through and through. And as if the unwanted responsibility isn’t bad enough, he becomes unwittingly caught in a strange one-sided threesome with his neighbor and ex-soccer player Horacio (Benjamin Vicuña) and his maitre d’ and friend Alex (Lola Dueñas). Not to mention, his restaurant Xantarella is also dangerously close to becoming bankrupt. The only bright spark in his life at the moment seems to be, yes, the possibility of a Michelin star.

Evolution of a chef

Now Maxi is not shy to hand out criticisms. According to one of his kitchen staff, he didn’t come out of the closet; he was thrown out. Whether his upbringing had something to do with it or not (his father does have a penchant for telling the dirtiest gay jokes and his mother is sweet yet slightly strange) is up for debate. Maxi says what is on his mind no matter how scathing it sounds. However, affections are another matter altogether. This of course creates problems with his kids (or just Edu in particular) who are still adjusting to him and even causes conflict with his lover who has issues of his own to resolve.

Despite all his faults, Maxi is still a loveable character. He genuinely cares for everyone in his life, evidenced by his refusal to cut down on staff members or lower their wages even when the accountant tells him that it would save his business. He learns the meaning of compromise and even begins to enjoy justifying fairy tales to his daughter. But perhaps the biggest turning point in his life is when he puts his son’s birthday on top of his list even if it means risking everything he has worked hard for.

Food for the soul

All this might seem too heavy to bear for one man but because the film is balanced by just the right amount of comedy and reality, nobody is sad and nobody is sorry. Unlike some gender-sensitive films, Fuera de carta does not go overboard with the humor nor does it scrimp on the life lessons. You take what you are served and you enjoy it.

In the beginning, viewers might have been hungry for the wonderfully cooked dishes being served in Xantarella but as the film progresses, they are sated with the sweetness of Maxi’s daughter, the spiciness of his relationship with Horacio, the slight bitterness of Edu’s grudges, the tanginess of Alex’ aggressive flirting, and the overall deliciousness of a life filled with love. As the literal translation of a Spanish saying goes, a full belly is a happy heart and everyone in Maxi’s life certainly has no room for complaints.