Hollywood has been inundated with “eat-the-rich” films for the past twenty years as society grapples with an increasingly tenuous class disparity. The results of this emerging genre have had their own disparity, as films like the Best Picture winner Parasite astutely criticized the upper class, and films like Saltburn clumsily approached what might drive the less privileged to take revenge on the wealthy. Netflix’s latest film, Delicious, which debuted at Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, is perhaps one of the worst to take on the concept in recent memory.
What Is ‘Delicious’ About?

Written and directed by Nele Mueller-Stöfen, Delicious focuses on an affluent German family’s summer holiday to their picture-perfect villa in Provence. John (Fahri Yardım) and Esther (Valerie Pachner), and their two children, Phillipp (Caspar Hoffmann) and Alba (Naila Schuberth), are fairly uninteresting. John and Esther’s relationship isn’t necessarily on the rocks, but it’s clear that the passion between them is long-dead. This subplot is so blandly presented that it’s hard to find a reason to care when his affair is later revealed, and she steps outside their marriage. Coming home from dinner in town one night, John accidentally hits a young woman walking down the road. Worried that John might go to jail for drinking and driving, Esther convinces the girl, Teodora (Carla Díaz), to come home with them instead of going to the hospital.
At first, Teodora seems sweet, if a little rough around the edges. She returns to their gated home the following day, claiming to have been fired from her job due to her injury, and offering to work as a housekeeper for the family. John is hesitant to take her on, but Esther pushes for it, clearly worried Teodora might still report the accident to the authorities. Teodora quickly ingratiates herself with the family, and uses their weaknesses to her advantage. She appeals to Esther’s need to be liked and needed, John’s need to be respected, Alba’s need for a confidant, and Phillip’s burgeoning crush on her. But through it all, Delicious never gives a real reason to root for whatever Teodora is up to. Sure, drinking and driving is a terrible thing, but beyond this incident there’s nothing particularly loathsome about the family. They are kind to Teodora, taking her out to dinner and on trips, gifting her clothing, in addition to paying her way. Perhaps this was Mueller-Stöfen’s intention, an attempt to suggest that the wealthy are unredeemable, regardless of their actions. But it’s so poorly handled, that there’s never a reason to care whether they live or die.
‘Delicious’ Is Wholly Unappetizing — But Not Because of Cannibalism

Delicious takes a more literal approach toward the whole “eat the rich” thing, but it falls short of the rich nuance that cannibalism can bring to a plot. While Bones and All had little to do with class war, the film took a novel approach towards the concept of intimacy and the act of consumption. Consumption, or rather overconsumption, is on display in Mueller-Stöfen’s film, but it’s vastly understated. John and Esther’s family own carbon bikes, which Teodora takes an interest in, but the importance of this plot device is only revealed after one turns to Google. How many people know offhandedly that carbon bikes cost anywhere between $1,000 and $65,000? But overconsumption is also on display with the cannibals, who leave their harvested meat to rot and molder in their fridges, and indulge in the excess of cigarettes, alcohol, and sex. Delicious fails to show its underclass cast as anything more than dangerous outsiders encroaching on the picture-perfect lives of the upperclass.
While the class roles are reversed, the cannibals here more closely resemble the rich in Fresh, who feast on human flesh because they can. There is no true motive ascribed to the actions of Delicious’ cannibals, beyond a vague notion that they feel justified because they have been locked out of a higher station in life. The film makes no effort to address the fact that John and Esther are Germans vacationing in France, but seems to paint Teodora’s heritage as an Andalusian as a negative quality. Something to be wary of. This framing is further complicated by the fact that her accomplices in the crime come from a variety of backgrounds that stand at odds with the family. If anything, Mueller-Stöfen’s script reads like a cautionary tale for the rich to avoid interlopers that might threaten to eat them out of house and home.
‘Delicious’ Is a Disappointing Critique of Class Disparity

Image via Netflix

Delicious may be an ill-conceived film, but there are some brilliant performances within it. In particular, Díaz is terrifyingly eerie in her role. Teodora walks a fine line between being a doe-eyed innocent and a menacing force of chaos. Watching her play the family like a finely tuned instrument is a delight, even if the end results are dreadfully disappointing. In between the lackluster plot and confoundingly ugly, over-saturated cinematography, there are moments of true intrigue. Like Esther’s willingness to engage in an affair with a man who is, quite glaringly, from a completely different world than her, which speaks to her true nature. Though, regardless of how she might actually view those “beneath her” is never a point of contention or even a developed idea. Teodora’s immediate connection to Alba is another compelling avenue of storytelling that is only half-baked and far from satisfying in its unearned conclusion. If you’re hoping for a biting critique of how the wealthy pick and choose who they allow within their world based on how they can serve their needs—look elsewhere.
If you have been eagerly looking for a mash-up of Parasite and Fresh that fundamentally misunderstands why both films resonated with audiences, by catering to the deeply ingrained xenophobia of the upper class, then Delicious is the film for you.
Delicious is now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

Delicious

An unappetizing attempt at the eat-the-rich genre.

Release Date

February 18, 2025

Pros & Cons

Carla Díaz is a force to be reckoned with in Delicious, delightfully toeing the line of friend and foe.

Delicious fundamentally misunderstands the “eat the rich” trope, choosing instead to feed into upperclass paranoia.
Nele Mueller-Stöfen’s script is filled with intriguing concepts that are never given room to develop into anything more than a concept.
The film leans into over-saturated cinematography and uninspired direction that leaves it feeling devoid of life.