Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023)

  Another easy watch.  Content warning: blood, clowns

Sasha (Sara Monpetit) has a moral imperative not to eat human beings, which is a problem because Sasha is a vampire.  Her parents, dad (Steve Leplante) especially, have tolerated it as a quirk --the cryptid equivalent of being a picky eater-- but at 68, it's time for some tough love.  They send Sasha to live with her cousin, Denise (Noémie O'Farrell), in the hopes that she will learn a killer instinct.  Instead, she meets Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a suicidal teen willing to be Sasha's first victim.

Longtime followers of this blog (or really, anyone who's ever mistakenly engaged me on this subject in real life) know that self-hating vampires are one of my biggest narrative pet peeves.  It's hard to see someone live out your dreams, much less be ungrateful about it.  Nevertheless, this is a very cute movie.  It's a little Amelie, a little Girl Walks Home Alone at Night with some Only Lovers vibes.  It toes right up to the line of being twee but the supporting characters save it.  It's currently streaming on AMC+ and Shudder, which I get through Amazon Prime.  Check it out if you like cozy horror.

The Taste of Things (2023)

  Are you overwhelmed by *gestures broadly*?  Do you like watching highly competent people cook things?  Do you like beautiful presentation in food?  How about genial anecdotes delivered in soft-spoken French?  Try The Taste of Things!

Dodin (Benoît Magimel) is a retired professional chef who now only cooks with Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), his loving co-chef who refuses to give up her independence by marrying him.  They prepare beautifully balanced multi-course meals for a small circle of gourmand friends and mentor a young prodigy (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) in their country home in the late 19th century.

This is a very easy watch.  There's no villain, no real conflict, just lovely food being prepared by gifted people.  Currently streaming on Hulu and Kanopy if you have a library card.  It would make a good companion piece with Chocolat, if you want a double dose of Binoche.