Food of Love
Encyclopedia
Food of Love is a 2002 Spanish
/German
film based on the 1998 novel The Page Turner by David Leavitt
. The screenplay was written by Ventura Pons
who also directed the feature.
In 2002, the film was the Official Selection at the Berlin International Film Festival
, the Montreal World Film Festival
and San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
.
The film was released on DVD by Peccadillo Pictures in 2004.
) is an 18-year-old music student who is offered the chance to be the page turner for the acclaimed pianist Richard Kennington (Paul Rhys
). Kennington, and his agent and lover Joseph Mansourian (Allan Corduner
), is instantly attracted to Paul's youth and attractiveness, but Kennington's attempts to get to know Paul better are thwarted by Paul's possessive, neurotic mother, Pamela (Juliet Stevenson
) who is initially unaware of the attraction. She dotes on her son but is faced with the revelation that her husband is cheating on her and the exasperation of her son, who feels suffocated by her love. Paul is keen to escape his mother and meets Kennington in a hotel; After talking Kennington offers Paul a massage which leads on to other things
. After meeting up again in Barcelona
, the two begin an affair
behind the back of Pamela and Mansourian who consistently attempts to contact Kennington after his dog dies to no avail. On the last day before Kennington returns to New York
, and Pamela and Paul head on to Grenada
, Pamela makes excuses and goes to Kennington's hotel to seduce him, but he is clearly not interested. While consoling herself in the bathroom, she finds a pair of her son's boxer shorts
hanging up.
After Kennington returns to New York
, and Pamela and Paul head on to Grenada
, the affair seems over. Six months later Paul, now at Music College and in a relationship with another older man, meets Mansourian again who invites him to page turn at a private event, where he later seduces Paul unaware of his previous connection with Kennington. Again his mother is unaware, but while cleaning Paul's room after he returns for Christmas, she finds a photo of Kennington, with a love note written on the back, in his suitcase. She attempts to confront Paul and later Kennington as the revelations are faced by Paul, Pamela, Kennington and Mansourian. Pamela then attends a PFLAG meetting where she discovers her now ex-husband's wife has a lesbian daughter.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
/German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
film based on the 1998 novel The Page Turner by David Leavitt
David Leavitt
David Leavitt is an American novelist.-Biography:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Leavitt is a graduate of Yale University. and a professor at the University of Florida...
. The screenplay was written by Ventura Pons
Ventura Pons
Ventura Pons Sala is a Catalan movie director.After a decade as a theatre director, Ventura Pons directed his first film in 1977, Ocaña, an Intermittent Portrait, which was officially selected by the 1978 Cannes Film Festival...
who also directed the feature.
In 2002, the film was the Official Selection at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, the Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
and San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
The Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by TLA Entertainment Group in 1995. The event is the third largest of its kind in the US, and the largest on the East Coast....
.
The film was released on DVD by Peccadillo Pictures in 2004.
Plot
Paul Porterfield (Kevin BishopKevin Bishop
Kevin Bishop is an English actor and comedian, best known for his own programme, The Kevin Bishop Show, which he co-writes with Lee Hupfield, and the role of Jim Hawkins in Muppet Treasure Island.-Life and career:...
) is an 18-year-old music student who is offered the chance to be the page turner for the acclaimed pianist Richard Kennington (Paul Rhys
Paul Rhys
Paul Rhys is a British television, film and theatre actor.Rhys was born in Wales and studied at RADA, leaving with the Bancroft Gold Medal in 1987. While there, he obtained his first major screen role, in Absolute Beginners . Since then he has seldom been off the stage and screen...
). Kennington, and his agent and lover Joseph Mansourian (Allan Corduner
Allan Corduner
Allan Corduner is an English actor.-Early life:Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in North London with his mother, father and a younger brother. His mother had escaped to England from Nazi Germany with her family in 1938...
), is instantly attracted to Paul's youth and attractiveness, but Kennington's attempts to get to know Paul better are thwarted by Paul's possessive, neurotic mother, Pamela (Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE is an English actor of stage and screen.- Early life :Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth , a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. Stevenson's father was in the army and was posted to a new place every...
) who is initially unaware of the attraction. She dotes on her son but is faced with the revelation that her husband is cheating on her and the exasperation of her son, who feels suffocated by her love. Paul is keen to escape his mother and meets Kennington in a hotel; After talking Kennington offers Paul a massage which leads on to other things
Same-sex relationship
A same-sex relationship is a relationship between two persons of the same sex and can take many forms, from romantic and sexual, to non-romantic close relationships. The term is mainly associated with gay and lesbian people...
. After meeting up again in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, the two begin an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
behind the back of Pamela and Mansourian who consistently attempts to contact Kennington after his dog dies to no avail. On the last day before Kennington returns to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Pamela and Paul head on to Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, Pamela makes excuses and goes to Kennington's hotel to seduce him, but he is clearly not interested. While consoling herself in the bathroom, she finds a pair of her son's boxer shorts
Boxer shorts
Boxer shorts are a type of undergarment worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement is very important.Reasons for a preference for boxers can be attributed to their variety of...
hanging up.
After Kennington returns to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Pamela and Paul head on to Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, the affair seems over. Six months later Paul, now at Music College and in a relationship with another older man, meets Mansourian again who invites him to page turn at a private event, where he later seduces Paul unaware of his previous connection with Kennington. Again his mother is unaware, but while cleaning Paul's room after he returns for Christmas, she finds a photo of Kennington, with a love note written on the back, in his suitcase. She attempts to confront Paul and later Kennington as the revelations are faced by Paul, Pamela, Kennington and Mansourian. Pamela then attends a PFLAG meetting where she discovers her now ex-husband's wife has a lesbian daughter.
Cast
- Paul - Kevin BishopKevin BishopKevin Bishop is an English actor and comedian, best known for his own programme, The Kevin Bishop Show, which he co-writes with Lee Hupfield, and the role of Jim Hawkins in Muppet Treasure Island.-Life and career:...
- Richard - Paul RhysPaul RhysPaul Rhys is a British television, film and theatre actor.Rhys was born in Wales and studied at RADA, leaving with the Bancroft Gold Medal in 1987. While there, he obtained his first major screen role, in Absolute Beginners . Since then he has seldom been off the stage and screen...
- Pamela - Juliet StevensonJuliet StevensonJuliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE is an English actor of stage and screen.- Early life :Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth , a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. Stevenson's father was in the army and was posted to a new place every...
- Joseph - Allan CordunerAllan CordunerAllan Corduner is an English actor.-Early life:Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in North London with his mother, father and a younger brother. His mother had escaped to England from Nazi Germany with her family in 1938...
- Izzy - Craig HillCraig Hill (actor)Craig Hill is an American film actor.Craig Hill was a co-star in the Desilu TV production "Whirleybirds" from 1957-1959 as the character "P.T."He was also starred in the movie "The Blsck Shield of Falsworth" as Francis Gascoyne in 1954....
- Tushi - Leslie Charles
- Diane - Pamela Field
- Teddy - Naim ThomasNaím ThomasNaím Thomas Mansilla is a Spanish singer and actor. He rose to fame by taking part in the first-ever seriesof Operación Triunfo - Career :...
- Novotna - Geraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...