Eden (12A) <!-- none onestar twostar threestar fourstar fivestar -->

The week's other odd-couple drama is less flashy and self-important than either Fur or Factory Girl, and much the best of the three. In a small German resort town, a corpulent masterchef, Gregor (Josef Ostendorf), strikes up a friendship with a local waitress, Eden (Charlotte Roche), whose palate - and life - blossom from the experience of his mouthwatering cuisine. But small-town rumours create mischief, and Eden's unfulfilled husband decides that there's more going on between them than innocent gifts of cake and liverwurst sandwiches. The gentle comedy of the first hour gives way to a surprising denouement, whose darkish tone might have knocked another movie off its stroke. Michael Hofmann's film survives thanks to fine performances by Ostendorf and Roche, and to a script that values understatement and nuance.