My first Wiseman and I am a convert.

At four hours, I usually feel I don’t have the time but this one, a meditative look at a French family restaurant that has had three Michelin stars for 50 years, looked like a good place to start.

Frederick Wiseman’s technique is just to observe but to take time to tell a thorough and coherent story. We start with produce being bought from a market and then see the painstaking process of putting together a menu and each dish, the mistakes and innovation, the pedantic attention to detail, the patrons who want to talk with Chef Michel or his protege son Cesar. We detour to their goat farm, to a cheese ripening business (and we learn all about moulds), to beehives and vineyards and their quaint luxe hotel.

There is no exposition but eventually the threads pulled together, ending with Michel talking to a guest about his family and his hopes. The four hours flew by and I left feeling enriched. And wanting to eat at their restaurant.