Mistura

Lima, 1965. Wealthy socialite Norma (Barbara Mori) is devastated when her husband abandons her for a much younger woman. It’s not long before the bank starts inquiring about the mortgage payments. Encouraged by her driver, Oscar (César Ballumbrosio) to start a business doing something she loves, she elects to open a French restaurant in honour of her gastronome father, who was the French ambassador to Peru, and who passed on his love of French cooking. But it becomes clear that the restaurant is going to need to find something new, something more authentic, if it’s going to get people excited.

Ricardo de Montreuil’s very satisfying film is itself classical in approach, even as it regales us with the advent of Peruvian cuisine, with its distinctive mistura (mixture) of local and far-flung influences. For Norma, adversity forces her to confront the confines of good taste she imbibed in childhood, with its attendant snobbery, sexism, colonialism and a side dish of hypocrisy. You will want to go out for a good meal afterwards — but there’s plenty of food for thought here.

Masterful… a feast for the senses… a triumph of storytelling that transcends the ’food movie’ genre.

Ricky Archuleta, Film Threat

A visually stunning and heartfelt story of self-discovery and cultural appreciation that celebrates Peru’s beauty, food, and people.

Roberto Tyler Ortiz, Loud and Clear Reviews