| RECIPE FOR HATE : Mats Arehn's 'The Chef' [7/10] |
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| Monday, 05 December 2005 | |
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Scandinavian coming-of-age dramas tend, on the whole, to be rather gently sedate, picturesque, rural affairs - even if, like Martin Asphaug's current Kim Novak Never Swam in Genesaret's Lake, they feature the odd burst of explicit sex and fatal violence. Veteran director Arehn (59) serves up rather meatier fare with The Chef, from his own idea and based on a script by Rolf Borjlind (62) - the latter best known for his contributions to the ongoing, hugely successful Swedish cop series Beck. As is usual with the rites-of-passage genre, The Chef - a 'handsome' production, conventional in its cinematography, editing and score - is structured as a long flashback, as recalled by the protagonist at a later date. But while the main story takes place in 1969, the 'frame' is set only a year later: we're introduced to 19-year-old Martin (Henrik Lundstrom) as he sits on a train, smoking and recalling his eventful time serving as second cook on the 'Snow Drift' to Cape Town and back the previous summer. The galley is ruled with the proverbial rod of iron by the imperious, impeccably dapper head chef Peter Stein (Kjell Bergqvist), a deeply tanned fitness-fanatic in his late forties and whose perfectionism and violent temper would give even Anthony Bourdain or Gordon Ramsay pause. Martin is bemused by Stein's complex character: a martinet during working hours, almost paternalistic in his sensitive concern at night. The third worker in the galley is the chripy Sundsvall (Peter Viitanen), an old pal of Martin's with whom Stein haughtily refuses to communicate. As the ship sails, relationships among the three galley-workers rapidly become strained - and Martin becomes increasingly disturbed by Stein's close attentions. Looking on from the sidelines is the enigmatic Silver (Ralph Carlsson), a veteran seadog whose role on board is never quite explained. He's somehow in cahoots with Stein, and knows the latter's dark, painful secrets - which Martin himself will also eventually discover... The Chef is not an easy film to summarise or classify: Arehn and Borjlind stir together elements of drama, black comedy, suspense and thriller, building up to an unexpectedly blood-streaked final act. Just like Martin, we're never quite sure of our footing - the mercurial Stein (psychotic one moment, charm itself the next) keeps everybody on their toes: looking like a cross between David Niven and Antonio Banderas, Bergqvist is the film's taut, urgent driving force. But Lundstrom, in a much trickier role, crucially manages to keep pace with him at every stage, Martin emerging as a rather more complex character than his jack-the-lad persona might initially suggest. As Stein intuits, the pair have rather a lot in common, from their aristocratic lineage (Martin's full surname is 'Von Lindhe', Stein's is 'Hungarn-Steinland') to their family circumstances (Martin lost his father at twelve, Stein at nine), even to their appearance. And the claustrophobic environment of the (underpopulated) ship gives proceedings an extra level of psychological intensity - these are vivid characterisations in an original setting - that easily compensates for some very un-Stein-like sloppiness regarding period detail (especially during the Cape Town stopover) and makes for a compelling, unpredictable watch. Neil Young 5th December, 2005 THE CHEF : [7/10] : Kocken : Sweden 2005 : Mats AREHN : 111 mins (timed) seen on DVD at home in Sunderland (UK), 3rd/4th December 2005 - with thanks to Ann-Mari Frendin |
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