In a surprising twist, France has selected charming culinary romance The Taste of Things as its submission for the Oscars international-feature race this year, over expected pick Anatomy of a Fall.

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Both films were breakouts when they first debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The Taste of Things, helmed by French-Vietnamese filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng, won the best-director prize at the festival, while Anatomy of a Fall, from Justine Triet, took the top prize, the Palme d’Or.

At the time, The Taste of Things was called The Pot-au-Feu. The 1885-set film stars Oscar winner Juliette Binoche as a cook whose bond with her fellow chef and boss (Benoît Magimel) turns into a tender romance in the kitchen.

While The Taste of Things earned critical acclaim and a Cannes prize, and was scooped up by IFC out of the festival, Anatomy of a Fall has arguably had the stronger journey since its debut. The Palme d’Or winner was bought by Neon, and played very well at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals. The courtroom drama centers on a woman (Sandra Hüller) who comes under suspicion for her husband’s death. While set in France, the story’s dialogue moves back and forth from French to English.

While the choice of the French committee—whose members included director Olivier Assayas, producer Patrick Wachsberger, and composer Alexandre Desplat—may raise some eyebrows, we’re looking at it as the best of both worlds. The Taste of Things now has a prime spot in the Oscar competition, while it’s a real possibility that Anatomy of a Fall will contend in categories outside of international feature, including best picture and best actress for Hüller.