We keep our eyes out for movies that celebrate food, celebrate travel and that, ideally, combine the two. If the film ties the local cuisine (including ingredients, methods and people behind them), we want to watch it. And if we love it, we recommend it to our Real Food Travelers so you can enjoy it too. This movie, Trifole, brings a mixed bag, with a window into what goes into truffle-hunting as an industry and an obsession for truffle hunters. Within the framework of family dynamics, aging and encroachment by other culinary industries, it’s definitely an interesting film, just not one you’re going to want to devour. Read what Jimmy McDonough, our Eco-Friendly Food, Travel and Adventure Editor thought of it.

Igor and his granddaughter, Dalia, in the movie Trifole. Photo courtesy of Cohen Media Group.

Hungry for more? Get our list of Books and Movies for Travel Lovers.

I came to this film with expectations of a light-hearted celebration of a culinary treasure – the truffle. How wrong I was. Many foods inspire obsession; yet few fetch such a high price as Italy’s truffles. Trifole delves into the unhealthy, even absurd, global culture of obsession that has evolved around this lumpy ball of fungus. Much of the film unfolds as a predictably feel-good tale with bits of comic relief; then at the moment of peak comfort and hope, it eviscerates you as it plunges into a tale of horrific futility. The rage I felt at the multiple injustices portrayed in the film still haunts me. There is no satisfying denouement of justice served. There is profound loss of sanity, humanity, the natural world. The final scenes are haunting.

Knitting together the scenes is the family relationship between a disenchanted young woman, Dalia, and her grandfather, Igor, and mother. And Birba, a stoic truffle-hunting dog, who is the sole source of peace and sanity in a world being systematically despoiled by humanity. Along with deep sadness there is hope in the arc between them; together, family survives despite the blows from modernity’s relentless and pitiless cudgel.

The truffle-hunting dog Birba in the film Trifole. Photo courtesy of Cohen Media Group.

For Real Food Travelers, Trifole offers a dive into the humble roots of one of nature’s magical ingredients and Italian culinary tradition turned cult. Italy’s culture and countryside of Piedmont are lovingly celebrated in gorgeous quiet scenes where the camera satisfyingly lingers on forests, vineyards, hillsides, stone villages.

The country’s modern choices about what to value (corporate vineyards or old growth forests? People or profits?) are portrayed. Trifole exposes the plight of aging, how families struggle to respond, and society’s harsh treatment of the vulnerable and poor.

The Truffle Festival in Alba in the movie Trifole. Photo courtesy of Cohen Media Group.

Trifole is not a light-hearted culinary romp through the Italian landscape (dreamy as they are). The film bravely challenges, exposes, and inspires reflection of the modern world – what we value, who we are becoming, and the high cost of it all.

Visit the official website for the movie here.

-by Jimmy McDonough, Real Food Traveler’s Eco-Friendly Food, Travel & Adventure Editor

Hungry for more? Make this recipe for Tagliolini with White Truffle.