“babette’s Feast” Movie Review

Hayley French

LUEG Junemester

Movie Review

June 15, 2015

“Babette’s Feast” Movie Review

        Even though it was difficult at first to see where this film was going, I was very moved at the end by Babette’s generosity to the two sisters and church members. Rather, I should say the kindness of the sisters because cooking a French feast was Babette’s pride and joy. I couldn’t help but think that her emotions portrayed in the preparation of the food were an exact example of the sacrificial relationship that Wirzba challenges society to have with food, regardless of the economic impact.

        From the sustainable point of view of those like Joel Salatin, Babette’s feast was wasteful and certainly not local. She had exotic food shipped across the sea instead of purchasing ingredients in the little town, and it is likely realistic to assume that not all of the produce or animals were in season or sourced from an agriculturally friendly farm. However, none of those factors were what really mattered. What Babette provided to her friends was truly her livelihood, the sum from the winning lottery ticket, which Wirzba lists as one of the qualities of a spiritual feast. The love that Babette had put into the meal also spread to the guests (along with the wine), and allowed them to see the good in each other and put their quarrels behind. So should we scrutinize her sourcing methods or preparation of the food? That is my challenge to the local food movement. God blessed us with food in order for it to be shared with others and bring joy into our lives. Constantly obsessing over where food came from almost makes it into an idol, and separates individuals with different viewpoints instead of bringing them together.

        Babette did have one quality that Salatin might approve of; she demonstrated that food should not be treated like a cheap commodity by spending not just a small portion of her income but actually all of it on the feast. It would obviously be unrealistic for our society to go to those lengths for groceries, but perhaps we would sit down with our family and enjoy a meal more if we had made a bit of a financial sacrifice to purchase it. Regardless, the joy that Babette felt by purchasing and preparing the meal should also be a part of what consumers look for at the grocery store today, not solely where or how it was sourced.