Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1485934
I learned while designing Room, a film which largely takes place inside an ultra-confined square, the importance of treating sets as layered personalities underscoring a film's overarching theme. The Menu script is constructed like Chekhov's Vanya: As its heroine slips further into Slowik's cryptic world—emotionally and architecturally—the action ends up in his private chamber. My fun here, counter-intuitively, was to reveal less and less the further she digs, and for the space to become smaller and smaller. Chef is defined by his devotion to the front of house, leaving little to nothing in back. His private chambers have drawings of dishes inspired by Ferran and Redzepi, with binders labeled successes or failures. There's a holy Bible and a prisoner's affordance of hygiene. Any details the viewer hopes to glean of his dreams and nightmares are purposefully absent. Conversely, the architectural details that reflect his humor were what Lindsey and our team relished: a step-down staircase that resembled a jigsaw puzzle, live edge floor tiles, a small pool built into the floor, a rock wall inside the bathroom, pipes on its ceiling that are made to feel cavernous, transom windows too small to escape through, a long fireplace reflected on angled bay windows, and a massive door that swings on a central axis, more akin to a trap than an entrance. In this film, to my surprise, I believe the Art Department can claim there isn't a single frame we didn't create from scratch. From the ferry boat to the agriculture fields to the smokehouse and staff quarters, every single structure was designed, built and decorated. Virtually every tree and bush were placed around them. Of these, the angular smokehouse—inspired by the German expressionists—was one of my favorites. Inside hangs a pair of flatback beef ribs resembling wings. Early on in my research, I was drawn to Francis Bacon and John Currin's distorted paintings of food and idolatry. The image of the pope melting before a carcass, resembling an angel (or demon's) wings, became an image Mark loved and recreated inside. A. & B. SLOWIK'S QUARTERS. SET PHOTO. C. SLOWIK'S QUARTERS IN PRODUCTION. D. WOMEN'S RESTROOM. SET PHOTO. E. ENTRY DOOR. PRODUCTION STILL. F. SMOKEHOUSE. SET PHOTO. G. & H. WORKERS' BARRACKS. SET PHOTOS. A B C