Written and Directed by Peter Strickland
Starring Makis Papadimitriou, Gwendoline Christie, Asa Butterfiled and Fatma Mohamed
Running time 1 hour and 51 minutes
Now playing in theaters and on demand

by Rosalie Kicks, Editor in Chief and Old Sport

“Give someone too much freedom… it is counter productive.”

My guess is that hanging out with filmmaker Peter Strickland would be an extremely fascinating time. He seems like one of those creative types that always has an idea brewing and, if his films have shown me anything, it is that he looks at and hears the world around us in a unique way.

In his latest film, Flux Gourmet, he explores the sights and sounds at a culinary institute in which a group of artists are having a residency. The story centers around the collective preparing for a performative concert which is referred to as “sonic catering”. Essentially, this is the act of preparing food while creating sounds of the experimental variety. Much of the story is told through the character Stones (Makis Papdimitriou) whom serves as the narrator. Stones is an employee of the institute and is responsible for documenting each group’s specific experience.

It is quickly learned that Stones suffers from a mysterious gastrointestinal disease that causes him to constantly expel gas. This creates much anxiety and stress for Stones as he is attempts to shield the others from his wind problem through suppression. When he seeks help from the institute’s live-in medical doctor, Dr. Glock (Richard Bremmer) Stone soon finds that the path to his diagnosis becomes part of the performance, regardless of his personal apprehension. Meanwhile, there is unrest amongst the performers which leads to passive aggressive behaviors and manipulation.

This is one of those films that will not be for everyone. Much like anchovies or blue cheese, Strickland’s flicks appeal to a particular type of palette. With Flux Gourmet, there is definitely something being said but one has to be willing to dig through the noise (in this case farts and blender whirs) to find it. Take, for example, a scene in which Stones makes the decision to have his colonoscopy conducted live in front of an audience. At the heart of this, it is showing the lengths that someone will go for their craft. It could also be interpreted as how some are exploited for the sake of art. Something to keep in mind is that Stones was not really part of the group, yet, they utilize his illness as a way of exploration. There were moments of concern for his well being, in particular from the obstinate character Elle di Elle (Fatma Mohamed). Although, she did not care enough to stop the act from occurring.

I have only watched a handful of Peter’s films (most notably, In Fabric and Berberian Sound Studio). However, one thing is clear: this guy has a thing for sound and production design. Honestly, I believe it even crosses into the realm of fetishism. He seems to work with a lot of the same actors, as many seem to be frequent flyers on his productions which I surmise means they “get it”. The story, even with it being an absurd and outlandish tale, is truly second fiddle to the overall look and feel to his pictures. There is a sequence of extreme close-up shots in which you’re not sure what it is at first until you realize it is just bread. Yet, somehow, they were bothersome to me. This is the Strickland effect. He does the same with the sound design. There is a wash of noises and suddenly there is a focus and clarity. He manages to present the ordinary in the most extraordinary way and induces various emotions, which truly makes his motion pictures not just a visual feast but an experience to behold.