by Joshua Rivera and Polygon Staff

If you purchase something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Part of the magic of film is how, despite only engaging two of our senses, it can evoke all of them. Food makes this very clear: cinematic stories about cooking and eating can create sensory bliss, bringing us home with some images and sounds of a beloved dish, or some completely new place with the same.

The Taste of Things, the French historical romance from director Trân Anh Hùng, is one of the latest films to evoke the magic of food on screen. A love story between a chef and gourmet, it's out to inspire more than hunger in viewers, but you'll be hard-pressed not to hit a restaurant on the way home. It's as good a time as any to celebrate some of our favorite movie festivals, a small menu of movies we love in part for how hungry they left us when the credits rolled.