Materialists (2025)
Dir. Celine Song
The following is a paragraph about the cutlery in this film.
At one point, it is revealed that Pedro Pascal's character has Sabre flatware. I know what you're probably thinking—Ishaan, Sabre is pretty expensive but nowhere near expensive enough to match this character's wealth. But to you, an idiot, I say that's exactly the point. Yes, he's very wealthy and absolutely vain enough to desperately want to flaunt it. But his personality is such that he is also aware of the exceptionable nature of excessive displays of wealth, especially to a person who does not have obscene amounts of it like him. So, of course, it would only make sense for this character to channel his insecurities through his material possessions and have flatware that humbles him to his guests. Knives and forks that release the tension which naturally emanates from being inside the home of a man who one would expect to have taste that screams excess. For this brilliant attention to detail, I applaud amy Beth Silver, the set dresser that worked on this film.
Now, do I think it's possible that all of the above meaning I have prescribed to the flatware in this movie was not actually intentional? Yes, maybe. Do I think they might have just looked up "nice forks" and bought the fun french ones? Yes, maybe. But, as of today, overanalyzing cutlery in cinema is a hobby of mine and i will not apologize for indulging in it.