This first feature film by Sébastien Tulard, a filmmaker who has several short films and a few music videos to his credit, tells the story of Yazid Ichemrahen. Coming from a difficult environment where, during his childhood, he was tossed between different homes and foster homes, this young Frenchman became a prodigy pastry chef, even winning the title of world champion in frozen desserts in 2014.
The ascent of the young man, also an expert in ice sculpture, has all the elements of the fairy tale. The director, who brings to the screen a screenplay written by Cédric Ido (Gravity), thus borrows all the codes of the classic biographical drama, however letting himself drift into excesses of sentimentality. The approach is sometimes too strong, often honeyed, and the visual treatment sometimes resembles that used for food advertisements…
That said, baking fans will have their mouths watering, although the scenes set in the kitchen don’t avoid clichés. Under the stars also owes a lot to Riadh Belaïche. Until now recognized as a youtubeur having built up a large audience thanks to his humorous capsules, the actor, who here holds his first major role in the cinema, has a very good screen presence.
The story is uplifting and certainly deserves to be told, but it’s only a shame that we put too much sugar in it…
