A sonic collective who can’t decide on a name takes up a residency at an institute devoted to culinary and alimentary performance. The members Elle di Elle, Billy Rubin and Lamina Propria are caught up in their own power struggles, only their dysfunctional dynamic is furthermore exacerbated when they have to answer to the institute’s head, Jan Stevens. With the various rivalries unfolding, Stones, the Institute’s ‘dossierge’ has to privately endure increasingly fraught stomach problems whilst documenting the collective’s activities.
Upon hearing of Stones’s visits to the gastroenterologist, Dr Glock, Elle coerces him into her performances in a desperate bid for authenticity. The reluctant Stones puts up with the collective’s plans to use his condition for their art whilst Jan Stevens goes to war with Elle over creative differences.
For in-depth thoughts on Flux Gourmet, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Flux Gourmet debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio that looks truly fantastic. The transfer provides a tremendous amount of detail and clarity, especially in distinct aspects of the culinary delights and other elements of the production design and costumes. There are numerous close-up shots of food which are almost grossly visible. Objects hold up well in the darker environments and retain their depth with banding rarely showing up as an issue. The movie features deep black levels that hold together nicely without ever crushing. The highlights of the movie are similarly stable with no blooming apparent. The movie itself has a crisp, natural palette that showcases wonderfully on screen with hues popping off the screen. No damage or digital noise was detected that would ruin the experience. RLJE and IFC Films have hit it out of the park with this one.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with a formidable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original English. This is a film narratively focused on sound and how it complements the art they are making, and this audio experience brings this to life in a rich manner. The dialogue and sound effects are balanced well with the distinct score and music where nothing gets lost. The movie has fun with the environmental sounds to make the dishes appear more alive. Surround channels get some lovely activity during the exterior scenes on location and during performances. The low end adds some heavy texture that enhances the atmosphere. This is a top-notch track all around. There are optional English subtitles provided for foreign dialogue, as well as English SDH subtitles.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on the disc.
Final Thoughts
Flux Gourmet is a film that is very hard to classify, but it stands out as one of the more unique experiences of the year. The film conjures a sense of dread and unease within the viewer, but at the same time the action on screen is tuned in such a way that you are never less than captivated. The oddball assortment of characters are brought to life brilliantly by the performers. Director Peter Strickland has a mind and sense of storytelling that is always thrilling to explore. IFC Films and RLJE Entertainment have released a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation but no special features. If you are feeling narratively adventurous, give this tonally erratic move a shot. Recommended
Flux Gourmet is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.