If you thought you knew who Anthony Bourdain was and the type of life he lived and stood by - think again.
On July 16, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, was released, focusing on the life and work of famed international food critic Anthony Bourdain. The film came as a surprise to audiences worldwide who, with no prior knowledge, had any idea that the documentary was in production prior to its release date.
While Roadrunner follows Bourdain doing the usual; globe trotting the world one country at a time, introducing new chefs and top star restaurants, featuring the most unlikely people to be seen on national television while exploring their lifestyle, (not to mention endless recipes that would continuously stop and shock even the most uncompromising food critics) the film’s mission to showcase the real Bourdain is revealed: despite his worldwide success and his inclination to be (somewhat) of a hardass, here was a man who was deeply unsettled with his life and who he was.
The evidence was always there. In 2000, his acclaimed Kitchen Confidential nonfiction novel was released, revealing what it took to be a chef, along with the intense, unromantic and oftentimes hazardous truth of the high-end restaurant world. There, within its pages, he reminisced with the current guilt he carried with him years later. His mistreatment towards others, his awareness of being a jarring tormentor. After its release, Kitchen Confidential became a stepping stone for Bourdain, who became an overnight sensation.
Friends and colleagues of Bourdain are featured throughout the two hour documentary, reminiscing on a beloved chef and a man of wonder. Despite his inner struggles to accept his demons and others for who they were, Bourdain unwillingly held onto the regret and misery that overwhelmed him for the rest of his life.
Watching Roadrunner reminded viewers of a great man who once existed, whose poetic, yet harsh words on reality and the culinary world would solidify world’s truths. Despite his inner struggles he faced day-to-day, here was a man who desperately tired to overcome his depression and focus on the beauty in life and bring that beauty to audiences around the world. Bourdain was great not because of his success, but because his immense appetite for life, culture and food, which he believed could bring people together. Interviews with colleagues such as Eric Ripert and members from the production crew of Parts Unknown, all confirm one thing: if they could go back and remind Bourdain of his worth, they would. That a person’s past doesn’t matter and his work was beyond valuable to society.
We lost a great man over three years ago. Fans today oftentimes wonder what Bourdain would say on our current events and state of the world. Roadrunner is a reminder of who Bourdain was, and his value. He dedicated the reminder of his life trying to change the world for the better through the simplest of ways.
Roadrunner is now playing in select theaters. It will air on CNN and HBO Max on an unspecified date.
-Natalia Ortonowska ©
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