In a little Danish fishing village in the 1880s, two aging sisters, Martine and Filippa, have spent their lives choosing duty over desire, alongside a circle of elderly friends leading humble, quiet lives. They may have certain regrets, but they are not unhappy, making a pious effort to lead moral Christian lives, knowing worldly things are temporary and everything will be better in heaven.

Enter Babette, a refugee from Paris who lost everything in the Franco-Prussian War, sent by a mutual friend to Filippa and Martine as cook and housekeeper. Babette’s presence unexpectedly enriches their lives through economy and abundance. The villagers live a life of renunciation, fearing that pleasures may somehow threaten their souls. But Babette demonstrates that pleasure is a gift not contrary to holiness.

When Babette asks Martine and Filippa to allow her to prepare for them a real French dinner for their late father’s birthday, they hesitantly agree. But when they see the preparation, the townspeople fear the meal may be spiritually dangerous and quietly pact to eat it without enjoying it or even remarking on the food. Then an unexpected guest joins them: an old friend, now an accomplished general, well-traveled and accustomed to different foods. While he recognizes what the food is, the other diners comment only on the weather.

And yet, something begins to change. As old grievances surface, hearts soften and faces brighten. Forgiveness is offered. The feast doesn’t distract them from the spiritual life, but restores their ability to love one another like children. The food doesn’t merely taste good; it restores communion. And therein lies the theme of Babette’s Feast: God’s grace doesn’t merely rescue us from the material world; it teaches us how to receive it. Beauty matters. Food matters. Wine matters. Art matters. Other people matter.

As the old man says, the food is not what is important. And yet, it is around food that we gather.

Babette’s Feast is a story about people who know how to sacrifice but have forgotten how to receive, and about the possibility that beauty, pleasure, and generosity can be instruments of grace. Nothing given to God is wasted; regrets may blind us from seeing grace, but grace gathers even roads not taken. Babette gives without expectation, saying “an artist is never poor.” Vocation isn’t just about what you become but what you’re capable of giving. And Christianity is the story of an extravagant gift that we ourselves could never provide. We must learn how to receive it.

Rated G | 1987 | 1h 42m 

Winner of the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film