The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
dir. Peter Greenaway · 1989
Plot
When churlish mobster Albert Spica acquires an upscale French restaurant in London, he dines there nightly, effectively scaring off the clientele with his bad manners. His wife, Georgina, is especially disgusted by him, and soon begins an affair with regular guest Michael. Despite their best efforts to keep it secret, Spica learns about their trysts, and he plots a terrible revenge.
Why watch
A visually arresting exploration of love, betrayal, and revenge, "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" serves a feast of moral ambiguity and grotesque opulence, where every dish is laced with tension and every glance is a potential dagger. Peter Greenaway's audacious style invites viewers to indulge in a darkly comedic yet disturbing narrative that challenges the boundaries of taste and decency.