THE expression “eat the rich” is taken to the extreme in German psychological thriller Delicious, which is now streaming on Netflix.
Directed by Nele Mueller-Stöfen, and set in the idyllic French countryside, the film tells the story of a wealthy family that becomes entangled with a mysterious young hotel worker harbouring sinister intentions, during their summer vacation.
On the very first night of their holiday in Provence, German couple John (Fahri Ogun Yardin) and Esther (Valerie Pachner) head out for a slap up meal with their two children, Philipp (Caspar Hoffmann) and Alba (Naila Schuberth).
Oblivious to the game of cat and mouse they have just set foot into, things take a dark turn on their way back to their luxurious villa when a girl steps out in front of their car like a bunny in the headlights. However, Teodora (Carla Diaz) is more of a cunning fox, and her minor injuries are all self-inflicted as she lay in wait for her blameless prey.
Rather than taking this curious stranger to the hospital for her scratches to be tended to, the couple, who accepted a free drink from the waiting staff – Teodora’s scheming allies – during their dinner, instead opt to patch her up at home.
John and Esther may have managed to have kept the police out of this wicked little pantomime. But after sending the girl on her away with a few hundred euros, their troubles, to their dismay, have now only just begun.
Teodora is soon back with a tale of losing her job, due to her injuries, and now wants to be employed as the family’s maid. Devious and conniving, she soon starts pulling all the strings, turning them all against each other, isolating them, and ultimately, leading them like lambs to the slaughter.
Delicious, which first premiered at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival this year, has an unsettling and brooding plot.
Unfortunately, it turns out to be fairly predictable, almost lazy, and nowhere near as appetising as its lofty flavours might lead us to believe.
(2/5)
