How to Feed a Dictator review – what was on the menu for some of the world’s most evil men

The documentary “How to Feed a Dictator” offers a stomach-churning glimpse into the culinary excesses of history’s most notorious despots. Director Andrew Neel’s film weaves together interviews with chefs who served Pol Pot, Idi Amin, and Kim Jong-il, raising uncomfortable questions about complicity and moral responsibility.

The film juxtaposes opulent feasts with the widespread poverty and hunger faced by citizens in these repressive regimes. The contrast between lavishly prepared meals and starvation is a jarring reminder of the stark class divisions that often characterize authoritarian rule.

One chef, Charles Otonde Odera, was tasked with preparing a human heart for Idi Amin. While he expressed some misgivings about raw offal at the time, his tone is largely matter-of-fact. Many chefs featured in the film seem more concerned with professional pride than moral implications of their work.

Ermanno Furlanis, who made pizzas for Kim Jong-il while millions of North Koreans starved, appears genuinely bewildered by how he ended up in such a situation. His lack of contrition is telling and raises questions about how individuals can become complicit in regimes that prioritize the interests of the powerful over those of their subjects.

The chefs’ denials and rationalizations are revealing. Many seem to assume they were simply doing their job, without considering broader context or moral implications of their actions. This is a classic example of what philosopher Hannah Arendt termed “banality of evil,” where ordinary individuals become complicit in extraordinary crimes through mundane decisions.

Authoritarian regimes often rely on the complicity of domestic elites, including chefs and service professionals. By catering to leaders’ tastes, these individuals help perpetuate systems of oppression that keep their countries locked down.

As we watch the chefs at work, preparing elaborate meals for tyrannical clients, it’s hard not to think about others who have played similar roles throughout history. The Nazi regime, for example, relied heavily on domestic cooks and caterers to prepare meals for its leaders. In this sense, “How to Feed a Dictator” is less a documentary about food than an exploration of how individuals and institutions can become complicit in systems of oppression.

The film’s implications extend far beyond culinary history. As we consider the role of individuals like Odera and Furlanis, we are forced to confront our own complicity in systems of oppression. How many of us have benefited from or participated in regimes that perpetuate inequality and human suffering? What does it mean to acknowledge and atone for these complicitities?

The film challenges us to confront our role in perpetuating systems of oppression, and to consider what this means for our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. By shining a light on dark corners of history, Neel’s film presents a powerful exploration of morality, responsibility, and the human condition.