SOMM

... is a story about four men, studying to become master sommeliers. The documentary follows their journeys to take one of the hardest tests. A sommelier is someone who can tell you just about everything about a wine by tasting it, looking at it, and smelling it. They have to know what wine to have with all sorts of food, where it’s from, how old it is, what the flavor is like, and describe what it smells like. The test requires months and months of preparation and because you can only take it once a year, some people are in training to be a master sommelier for years and take the test as many times as needed to pass, which can sometimes be five or six times. The characters add humor, and make the film more exciting.

The filmwork was very good. Some scenes were shot very close up, and some were shots of the group of guys sitting together or working together. The aerial views of Europe were amazing. In between each “chapter” of the film several wine glasses were shot and exploded. As the test grew closer the glasses began exploding with more force. This added a nice transition from scene to scene.

I especially liked the scenes that showed the group of guys studying to be master sommeliers when they were in a group working and joking around with each other. It showed how real they were and how much they wanted to achieve their goal. They were so focused and dedicated that sometimes they needed to relax and I loved that you were able to see that.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did. I know nothing about wine, but the movie is still entertaining and interesting. The characters and story are relatable and that’s a great thing in movies. I would give it a four and a half out of five. Just a little bit too much wine!