Noma: My Perfect Storm

Film-maker Pierre Deschamps certainly got the timing right when he embarked upon this portrait of Noma, Copenhagen's avant-garde foodie shrine, and its charismatic chef René Redzepi. Named "Best Restaurant in the World" three years running for Redzepi's ground-breaking cuisine using natural Nordic ingredients, the establishment was subsequently hit in 2013 by a serious norovirus outbreak. As pressure mounted to maintain standards, was the crown beginning to slip? Foremost in this fly-on-the-wall report is the fascinating contradiction of Redzepi himself, whose abrasive perfectionism appears to be prompted by the prejudice he suffered in his youth after his family moved to Denmark from humble roots in Macedonia. He's clearly driven to prove his place in Danish culture, lending the film a broader scale than merely drooling over a series of bizarrely creative dishes (fermented blood sauce, anyone?). Ultimately, though, given Redzepi's apparent contempt for his globe-trotting clientele, less satisfying is the lack of any questioning of the pretentious microcosm that is high-end gastronomy.