THE RECIPE (Korea, 2010)
Directed by: Lee Seo-Goon
Starring: Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Lee Yo-Won, Lee Dong-Wook

It’s a tasty enigma wrapped in a delicious riddle: a fugitive from death row cuts short his escape to sit down in a country inn and lick clean a bowl of local doenjang (bean paste) stew. Its delicious scent not only paralyzes him but also all the arresting officers who arrive on the scene moments later.  On the way to his execution, his last words aren’t of anger or regret. They’re all about that bowl of doenjang.  And unctuous, ratings-hungry TV producer Choi Yu-Jin (Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Blades of Blood) wants to know why.  And so begins the search for THE RECIPE.

Examining the mystery of the stew and its chef, producer Choi discovers that the chef in question, Jang Hye-Jin (Lee Yo-Won), has not only disappeared but her soup skills seem to go beyond human ken.  How does she position her clay pots in exactly the right sunlight, and how does she get the faint flavor of flower petals in the water base?  Why does the scent of the stew draw flocks of butterflies?  And how the hell can her salt be 100% pure?  Chasing down a crazy recipe trail, Choi finds himself knee-deep in a romantic fantasy of true love, broken hearts and awe-inspiring food.

Part culinary fairy tale, part scrumptious ghost story, THE RECIPE is a cryptic parfait from an up-and-coming female director, Lee Seo-Goon.  Staging the story like a version of CSI on the Food Network, Lee keeps introducing new twists, whether it’s the twin tycoons who never gave up on the mysterious Jang Hye-Jin, or the sexy “mountain goblin” she fell in love with.  Ghosts, mysterious benefactors, homemade wine, harmonic cricket sine waves, a sea of petals in the wind, the seductive powers of yeast, a few suggestive bumblebees - what more do you need for the foodie within?  THE RECIPE is a mystery about great food, and the beautiful people who eat it. Bring a date, a hankie, and your taste buds. This is one food movie that does not disappoint.