The Menuis one of the best movies to come out of 2022, even if it really didn’t get the attention it deserves until it droppedon HBO Maxin 2023. The entire film is a mystery centeringon Ralph Fiennes' Chef Slowik and his creepy dishes that show he has something more sinister in mind for his patrons than just feeding them a five-star meal. With itsincredible cast of actorsplaying entitled jerks aside from one underdog girl stuck in the middle of the mystery, it kind of seemslike aKnives Outmysterywith no Benoit Blanc there to save them. So the audience has to be their own detective.
Throughout the film, there are constant clues that hint at the final fate of all the patrons who decided to eat at Slowik’s final dining experience. Here are 10 clues that are spread throughoutThe Menuthat give you all you need to figure out the movie’s darkest secrets.
10Mysterious Margot
From the very first shot of the movie, it’s clear that one of the biggest mysteries is going to be Anya Taylor-Joy’s Margot. Pretty much everything about the opening scenes doubles down on this. For starters, despite the fact that Tyler and Margot appear to be a couple, he’s surprised that she’s smoking. Margot also doesn’t know anything about the Hawthorne island restaurant, which anyone who knew Tyler well would obviously have heard about at least 10,000 times. She’s also not as finely dressed as the other patrons and has clearly dyed hair instead of Taylor-Joy’s iconic platinum blonde look. Everything about Margot lets us know that she doesn’t belong with the rest of them. When Margot and Tyler get to the island, and they don’t know her, it’s not even a surprise that something isn’t right.
Many in the film likely understood that she was an escort before the reveal came. The knowing, creepy look from Richard definitely gives it away if nothing else…
Related:Director Mark Mylod, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, & Judith Light Dish on The Menu
9The Starter Course
When the diners arrive at the boat, they get their first taste of what the Chef has prepared for them. That would be their Lemon Caviar served on a Raw Oyster with Mignonette. Tyler explains that the Lemon Pearls are actually made of algae. While he expects Margot to be incredibly impressed by this information, she is the only one on the ship who realizes that the starter is actually an insult. She calls the Lemon Pearls “pond scum”.
This is the first sign of how Chef Slowik actually views his patrons for the evening. They may look fine on the outside like the professionally plated Caviar is, but on the inside they are the lowest form of scum on the planet.
8Tour through the Ecosystem of Death
Their evening truly begins with a long tour through the various parts of the island. They see the Ocean where their seafood is being caught, the slaughterhouse where their meat is prepared, and the gardens where their vegetables are grown. They are given a tour through this ecosystem, but it’s clear that none of them view themselves as a part of this system. When the Amuse Bouche is served on a rock from the island, it is clear that Slowik is trying to show them that they are going to be a part of this ecosystem by the evening’s end. Eventually the are reduced to ashes and spread through the very locations they walked through earlier in the evening.
7Constant Kindling and Fire references
While Chef Slowik gives few hints that the patrons will eventually be burned to a crisp, the film gives quite a few clues that this will be their fate. Most notably, John Leguizamo’s character is seated right in front of a raging fireplace that he is in the center of. It is clear from this shot that he will be a part of a fire at some point in the film.
There are also constant shots that cut away from the restaurant back to wood scattered across the island. On the beach, there are scattered remnants of trees buried in the sand. This is a clue that all the patrons are essentially kindling on the island, waiting to be lit to their ultimate doom. When the fake boat captain aims his gun at them, it is even revealed to be a lighter. This shows that fire will be the true weapon used in the film’s final act.
The first major insult given to his patrons is when he presents them with a breadless bread plate. He says that bread is the food of the common man and even used as a metaphor for salvation from Jesus Christ Himself. By denying them bread, he is not only making a comment on how he views his upper class clientele but also that they have no chance of redemption. If any of them were familiar with the Bible, they would’ve also known that this was a threat. Jesus discusses bread during the Last Supper. The film even doubles down on this by having them pose in a similar way to the famous painting that depicts this meal. He is telling them in one speech that they are about to eat their final meal and none of them pick up on it.
One would think Lillian, the food critic searching for literary allusions through the entire meal, would’ve been able to figure that out.
5The Scissors of Judgment
The patrons seem to be completely oblivious to how odd the evening is until Slowik tells the story of his most memorable “Taco Tuesday”. He tells the story of how he was forced to stab his father in the thigh with a pair of scissors. Slowik even says that his younger self should’ve used the scissors to cut into his throat instead. His regret shows that he now has murderous intent, though the diners simply think he is giving a performance.
The scissors are also used once more when Slowik needs to atone for unwanted advances on Katherine. It is a bit surprising that scissors weren’t used in his final punishment against his patrons who ruined his art.
4Tyler doesn’t belong in the Kitchen
From the very beginning ofThe Menu,Tyler tries to set himself apart from everyone else dining on the island. He clearly thinks he has a special relationship with Chef Slowik. It’s later revealed that he is the only one who knows that they are all going to perish on the island. There’s one moment in the film’s first half that shows that he doesn’t belong in the kitchen as much as he thinks he does. When he goes to speak to Sous Chef Jeremy Louden in the kitchen, he discusses the food, but Margot points out that he didn’t ask the Chef his name. Later, when Louden ends his own life, he doesn’t even seem to notice it was the same person.
All of these moments are clues to Tyler’s inevitable fate once he is shamed into realizing that he has never been the type of person Slowik would admire. It would be heartbreaking if Tyler weren’t such a repellant human being.
3Chekhov’s Pacojet
There is a classic story trope called “Chekhov’s Gun” where if a gun is seen at an early point in a story, it must be fired at a later part in the story.The Menuhas a fun play on this by repeatedly referencing the kitchen’s Pacojet. This expensive piece of equipment is called out by name from both Tyler and Slowik, though Margot clearly doesn’t care what it is. When her fight with Elsa comes later in the film, Margot only wins by attacking her with the nearest heavy object she can find. That is, of course, a Pacojet.
2Knowing Slowik saves Margot
At first, it would be easy to assume thatThe Menuis a battle of wits between Margot and Slowik. While that is certainly true, in a way, it isn’t the full picture. Slowik mentions several times throughout the movie that he misses cooking for people he actually likes. That his art no longer makes him happy. When Margot finds herself in Slowik’s home, she finds a series of pictures that recount his entire career and family life. In all of these pictures he seems miserable. All but the one where he is pictured as a hamburger fry cook. In that picture, he is grinning ear to ear.
In the end, Margot gets to survive because she orders a hamburger. When Slowik makes this hamburger you can see him smiling. He is actually enjoying his art once again. By changing the theme of the evening, Margot gets to leave the island alive without ruining Slowik’s obsessive plot. She made it into a story about him rediscovering the joys of cooking for someone who knows him.
Related:Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes on How Costumes Connote Class
1Anne’s Freedom
On a first watch, the easiest character arc to miss is Richard’s unhappy wife, Anne’s. On a second watch, you can see her entire story unfold in all of its tragedy. She is clearly in an unhappy marriage with Richard where he sees escorts on the side. What’s more disturbing under the surface is that the identified escort, Margot, closely resembles the pair’s daughter. She has clearly been trapped in this loveless marriage for decades, with horrific betrayals going unpunished.
Chef Slowik has a big speech where he discusses freedom when he dispatches with his own angel investor and then announces Margot’s freedom after Tyler ends his life as well. The third point of freedom comes when Elsa decides to remove Richard’s ring finger and then gives Anne the ring. In fact, she is the only diner to actually let go during the cleansing flame at the end of the film. When Margot escapes the incoming inferno, she actually looks back at the rest of the diners. Anne is the one who gestures for her to leave them, showing that she’s forgiven Margot for having an affair with her husband. Then, when Chef Slowik prepares his s’more, all the patrons are terrified except one. Anne actually looks at Slowik and tells him “thank you”. She is finally free.
