The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
1989 · 124 min · Director: Peter Greenaway
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
The wife of a barbaric crime boss engages in a secretive romance with a gentle bookseller between meals at her husband's restaurant. Food, colour coding, sex, murder, torture, and cannibalism are the exotic fare in this beautifully filmed, but brutally uncompromising modern fable.
Emotional fingerprint
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Disturbing 30%, Love 25%, Anger 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Disturbing30%
- Love25%
- Anger20%
- Awe15%
- Sadness10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Disturbing, Love, Anger. Genres: Drama, Crime. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Disturbing, Love and Anger. Its IMDb rating of 7.5/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 73/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Tension
- Disturbing
- Sadness
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Disgust
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Tension | Disturbing | Sadness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Tension | 48 % | 43 % | 33 % | 8 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 9′ | Tension | 41 % | 36 % | 25 % | 6 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Tension | 40 % | 31 % | 23 % | 5 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Disgust | 46 % | 35 % | 30 % | 6 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Tension | 48 % | 41 % | 33 % | 9 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 34′ | Disgust | 45 % | 41 % | 30 % | 10 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Tension | 54 % | 49 % | 40 % | 11 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Tension | 63 % | 57 % | 49 % | 13 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Tension | 59 % | 54 % | 41 % | 13 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Tension | 58 % | 53 % | 37 % | 13 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Tension | 64 % | 60 % | 43 % | 13 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Tension | 73 % | 71 % | 51 % | 16 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Tension | 79 % | 77 % | 63 % | 23 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Tension | 81 % | 78 % | 71 % | 35 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Disturbing | 84 % | 71 % | 71 % | 57 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Sadness | 85 % | 54 % | 68 % | 75 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 102′ | Sadness | 84 % | 41 % | 63 % | 79 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 109′ | Sadness | 81 % | 50 % | 55 % | 68 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 115′ | Tension | 82 % | 67 % | 60 % | 53 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 121′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Michael
Spangler
Terry Fitch
May Fitch
Corelle Fitch
Patricia
Alice
Details
- Directed by
- Peter Greenaway
- Written by
- Peter Greenaway
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1989
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Country
- Netherlands, United Kingdom, France
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Disturbing
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
Feels similar
More like this →Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.
