The Thai food movie that's a mix of "The Menu" and "Whiplash" is somewhat similar in some ways, but it's not entirely a copy because it has its own storyline. The story is about a middle-class girl who dreams of elevating herself in high society by showcasing her cooking skills. However, her successful recipe doesn't make her as famous as she expected, and the villainous chef is straightforwardly evil. The characters lack depth in the latter part of the movie, turning it into a typical good vs. Evil scenario, leading to a happy ending that's too easy and predictable. Darker viewers may be slightly disappointed, but overall, the movie is enjoyable, with the lead actor charmingly portraying the role, making the viewers engaged in every scene. There are many beautifully shot cooking scenes, and the production value is high. It is the first Thai movie on Netflix that feels like it has reached a high international standard.

Very engaging film for any food lover. The main character played by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying did a terrific job as an actress. You can really feel the emotions during the intense scenes. Sadly she was the only character with any depth. It felt like her world and everyone was just living in it. The supporting roles were kind of interesting but only surface level.

Many of the plot turns were pretty cheesy. The scenes of violence and the reasons behind them were random, weird and had no build up. The head chef was cool, and stoic, which is to be expected from many successful chefs, however, he had outbursts that didn't make that much sense.

There was a few ominous scenes of rich people living out their gluttony with depictions of them eating flesh-like food. It was a clear dynamic between rich people betrayed as greedy while low-status people betrayed as simply, caring, loving, yet frustrated. It was very interesting to see this depiction, especially during the flashback scene of the Head Chef's upbringing. The comment about the caviar had me burst out laughing.

The cinematography was enjoyable and the dishes looked great. Its probably was kept me engaged the most.

Overall, this film was good. I would recommend it for sure. Many aspects were rushed, and had little development, but remained exciting and had scenes that moved me. The ending will leave most with lots of questions and unfulfilled, but you will give reflections.

Hunger had an unique intense tone throughout which made it an intriguing watch despite the slow paced narrative. The film definitely is lengthy but doesn't feel that way and definitely the director must be praised for that. A cook at a small restaurant is offered to join famous chef Paul's crew, to be trained under him and eventually she grows in rank while enduring his strict ways. Things take a turn when she quits and is pitched right against Paul. How she handles this while fearing to lose more than she can bargain, forms the story.

The characters remained intriguing and that helped being invested in the story throughout. The lead's family and her financial crisis is well established to showcase her need to make it big. With all the craziness inside the kitchen, Chef Paul's backstory explaining why he chose to become a chef was impactful. It definitely had a darker tone but didn't go to the extreme. The climax was however underwhelming and that is the reason for my less rating. For all the build up, the climax felt like playing too safe wrt the power game instead of milking the teacher vs pupil angle.

I would still recommend this movie for the honest attempt.