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VIFF 2009 | Cooking with Stella
By VIFF Correspondent Fabiola CarlettiCooking with Stella
Canada, 2009, 104 mins
DIR: Dilip Mehta
Stella has a whole wall of family portraits, but none include actual relatives.
The savvy servant keeps house for employees of the Canadian High Commission, cooking her way into diplomats' hearts and photos and living with them in a luxurious New Delhi home.
But the charming and trusted live-in worker has been guarding a few secrets throughout her years of service. The devout Catholic sees herself as a modern-day Robin Hood: stealing from her rich employers and generously providing for the poor--specifically, herself.
Things get topsy-turvy when a new family moves in. The lady of the house, Maya, is the new diplomat-in-residence and Michael, the self-identified "diplomatic housewife," will be difficult for Stella to avoid. Michael is a chef, and he wants to make Stella into his very own Indian cooking guru.
As if this weren't enough of a change, the couple soon hires Tannu, a new nanny to care for their baby, who threatens to reveal Stella's tricks to the unsuspecting Canadians.
The story weaves through kerala shrimp curry and kidnapping, creating a delicious plot that has got the film nominated for the Canwest Award for Best Canadian Feature Film.
The camera works at interesting angles and accentuates vibrant characters and colours. The cinematography truly showcases the skill that Dilip Mehta developed as a photojournalist and allows him to borrow the spotlight from his highly acclaimed filmmaking sister Deepa Mehta.
Ultimately, the film is buffet of stimulants that is sure to make you laugh, tap your toes, and develop a serious craving for butter chicken and masala dosa. Don't go on an empty stomach!
Schema Magazine's coverage of VIFF 2009 is sponsored by the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival
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October 16, 2009 at 12:51 AM
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