There are several cooking series – about cooking, about chefs, about traveling and learning about different dishes from different cultures – and films about the restaurant business (dark comedy). Menu immediately comes to mind). Most of the time the focus is on the stress of working in the food industry and getting high quality food rather than the soil it comes from. House of Trophies
is an exploration of witchcraft, land, and the respect that should be given, as well as an exploration of the perversions and stress of the restaurant industry.
Directed and co-written by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Crudy. House of Trophies follows Ariana DeBose’s character, known simply as “Chef,” as she quits her job as a sous chef to open her own restaurant in upstate New York. She works with Andrés (Arian Moayed), who has promised to invest in her while she prepares an old house with its own garden for her big opening. But the longer she stays there, the more Chief begins to hear voices and sees the ghost of a woman, presumably a witch, who used to own the place.
Trophy House is not horror
And it’s at its best when it’s not trying to be that way.
House of Trophies excels when it focuses on the horrors of the restaurant industry, although its approach differs from other films dealing with the same subject. The chef is so focused on success that she begins to treat her sous chef Lucia (Barbie Ferreira) the way she was originally treated. Chef’s lack of a name suggests she could be anything, but the fact that she is a woman opens the door to exploring how sexist treatment can push women out of the industry or, in Chef’s case, make her become like those very people who she resembles. I didn’t like it.
The film ponders whether the chef is driven to the brink by the house itself, or by Andrés and the challenges of opening a restaurant. Although we eventually find the answer, the film’s themes are strong enough to overshadow the abject horror we are presented with. House of Trophies to be honest, it’s not scary and doesn’t try very hard to be, despite the fact that it’s a ghost story. There’s nothing particularly creepy about it, and Cole and Crudy aren’t interested in playing into witch stereotypes, which is a good thing.
I understand what he was trying to accomplish and respect that he wasn’t trying to hold himself to some standard that wasn’t right for him.
The film is better when viewed as a whole. When I think too much about his parts, his strengths begin to wane. The chef walked to the edge and for a while I wasn’t sure where. House of Trophies was going to. The final act is filled with a strange sense of humor that feels a little out of place. Once I realized that it completely emphasized the abandonment of the ceremony of fine dining in favor of the connection between food and land, the more I was able to get on board, even as it pushed its horror aside.
The handling of the final moments—and even the scenes leading up to it—is decidedly eccentric, with tonal shifts affecting parts of the story. Fortunately, these things are not enough to derail House of Trophies of semi-pleasant and even intriguing watches. I understand what he was trying to accomplish and respect that he wasn’t trying to hold himself to some standard that wasn’t right for him. Once Chief realized what was right for her and embraced her role in the next phase of her career, the sense of freedom was palpable.
House Of Spoils doesn’t shy away from the reality of its setting
And Ariana DeBose is committed to her performance.
The Prime Video film touches on the realities of working in the restaurant industry, and does so insightfully. The chief says she spent seven years of her life without a day off, so the pressure of success was felt more acutely at every turn. We knew how much it meant to her, but at the same time we recognized that the person she became under enormous stress was not worth applauding.
DeBose delivers a committed performance as her emotions fluctuate between shock, fear, irritation, despair and savagery, which is especially felt at the end. The Chief goes on a rollercoaster ride of heightened senses and adrenaline, and DeBose impresses by bringing his character to life on such a rocky journey. Moayed and Ferreira are good in supporting roles, and Amara Karan is memorable in a small role as a food critic.
Perhaps I wasn’t completely sold on the supernatural elements. House of Trophies tried to take and they didn’t work for the most part, but there is something here worth experiencing. It may not measure up to the best of the horror genre, but it has an obvious spirit that kept me looking away.
House of Trophies is now available to stream on Prime Video. The film has a running time of 101 minutes and is rated R for language and violence.