By Mr. Will Wong
Anthony Bourdain always will be known as the Culinary world’s “Bad Boy”, re-inventing the way we look at food and breaking down barriers with his adventurous spirit and discerning palate. Whether you knew him from TV Series like A Cook’s Tour, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, or Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, chances are you were drawn-in by his unfiltered candor, his impeccable knowledge of food or his dashing good looks. It’s been three years since Bourdain took his life while filming on location in France for Parts Unknown, leaving behind a trail of sadness that has outshone the many important things he has contributed to the world. Morgan Neville directs and produces Documentary ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN, a portrait of a man who found great success, but never was able to overcome his pain.
The Film intermixes archival behind-the-scenes footage and interviews of those closest to Bourdain, including Chef Eric Ripert, Chef David Chang, Ex-Wife Ottavia Busia, Artist David Choe and several more. We see his rise from being the Executive Chef at famed Brasserie Les Halles in New York City to his overnight success developing into a public figure, appearing on Oprah and becoming a best-selling Author. Though he would achieve international recognition, he is presented here as someone always who was running, quietly battling his demons despite a deeply-adored public persona. And while we see him as a great romantic and anything but normal, being the ideal father was something that he struggled with after his daughter Ariane was born in 2007.
Running just under two hours, the Final Act of the Documentary deals with his world unravelling, coping with a loss of direction and deep sense of unhappiness. It goes to uncomfortable territory as more than once we see Bourdain joking on-camera about killing himself. The Film opens with him caring less about what happens to his remains and he suggests in dark humour, how he’d like his ashes placed into a woodchipper and sprayed at Harrod’s. It also recounts his final days after learning that his lover Asia Argento had been photographed with another man, leaving a trail of cryptic clues into his psyche on his Social Media. Bourdain always was a powerful storyteller and to the finish, wrote his own ending.
Though the Film doesn’t try to make sense of what Bourdain had done, we do get a heartfelt glimpse into what he meant to those around him and they speak candidly about loss. Neville explores the duality of how Bourdain could be a beloved friend, yet also say and do things that would hurt others. On-camera he is so composed and assured, yet his addictive personality meant he never could savour contentment with all he had accomplished. Though he brought the world much joy through his work, our collective memory of Bourdain is marred by sadness and loss. With integrity, the Film dissects those ingredients that make Bourdain so complex, while giving us insight into the vulnerability he kept from us.
ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN is in theatres July 16, 2021 via Focus Features.
*Please ensure you exercise caution in observing COVID-19 protocols if seeing this in-theatre.*
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