User reviews

The movie is trying to immerse the audience into the microcosm of a major restaurant kitchen in New York. Great acting by many of the cast. However, 3 hours are too long for getting the story across. Some elements don't make sense at all and some characters are not getting the focus they deserve. Overall the topic of diverse cultures by migrants and their personal dreams of life are a crucial topic. I would have wished to allow this in a form that would focus on few and with a deeper vertical story line. Raul and Rooney Mara are amazing in their performances. We watched it at the world premiere and the audience was very receptive to the premiere.

'La Cocina' (2024), the bold and unusual film by Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios, immediately reminded me of Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times'. Both films have one memorable scene that visually and symbolically represents all that is wrong with the dehumanization of work. As a whole, both films present scathing and fearless critiques of abhorrent aspects of the capitalist system, of course in different centuries and at different stages. 'La Cocina' combines this theme with that of illegal immigration in America today. Movies about immigration in America have a tradition, you could say they represent a separate genre. What is special about Ruizpalacios' film is that the point of view is that of immigrants. The director, most of the producers, the technical crew, the actors and the heroes of the film are mostly non-American. The director is also the author of the screenplay, adapted to the realities of America and today from a play (which also became a film script) by the English playwright Arnold Arnold Wesker.

The story takes place in a restaurant called 'The Grill' in the center of Manhattan, somewhere near Times Square. We never enter the front door, though. From the first scene, we are directed to the back entrance, and we will only see the restaurant itself, with its local or tourist customers, twice in the movie. The rest of the story takes place in the kitchen where dozens of dishes are prepared at a hellish pace for the hundreds of customers, or in the side streets or inner courtyards where the huge garbage bags permanently generated by the junk machine are stored. Estela, a (probably illegal) immigrant, who doesn't speak one word of English, is hired to work in the kitchen alongside Pedro, also an illegal immigrant, who has already been in the place for several years. Pedro has a relationship with the waitress Julia, who is pregnant. The woman wants to terminate the pregnancy, the man - who maybe loves her or maybe just wants to sort out his legal situation somehow - would like her to keep the baby. When $832 goes missing from one of the cashier machines, the entire staff, composed mostly of immigrants, comes under suspicion. The temperature is rising in the inferno that is already the restaurant kitchen.

'La Cocina' is not an easy film to watch. It is quite long and has moments when the story drags and the dialogues suffer from an excess of rhetoric and repetitions that add nothing. Fortunately, there are many other excellent scenes, inspired directorial decisions, and something cinematically interesting happening on screen all the time. Perhaps fearing theatricality, the director Alonso Ruizpalacios seems to constantly remind us that we watch a production of the art of film. The cinematography uses black and white, with rare spots of color at key moments and towards the end - a procedure if not invented, then made famous by Steven Spielberg in 'Schindler's List'). The scene at the core of the film, which lasts about 15-20 minutes, is filmed in one long shot and manages to convey the infernal dynamics of the activity in the restaurant's kitchen. The combination of the neo-realism of the attitude and the diversity of the cinematic means works very well. Unlike many other films whose stories take place in the kitchen, in 'La Cocina' the preparation of food is not (with one exception) appetizing, nor did the screenwriter and director really care. We are not in a temple of gastronomy but in a rather expensive junk food factory. The atmosphere of confusion that is transmitted to the viewers is what the heroes of the film feel as immigrants faced with the American realities, with hellish working conditions, with language barriers and mentalities. The diverse, multilingual and multicultural human landscape is excellently supported by a team of actors and extras, some amateurs, others professionals who enter the roles very well. Raúl Briones plays the role of Pedro exceptionally, although I could not fully decipher his character. Rooney Mara is cast in a very different role than the ones in other films I've seen her in, and once again demonstrates remarkable acting qualities. I am seeing, I think, for the first time Anna Díaz, who plays the role of Estela, and I hope to see her many more times in the future. Expressive and aggressive, 'La Cocina' is one of the good movies of the season, a film that takes us almost by force behind the scenes of the false shiny world that some of us enjoy and among the people who make it possible, with their dramas and sufferings.

Transposed from 1950s London to a contemporary midtown NYC diner, Arnold Wesker's play 'The Kitchen' shows its subject matter still possesses vitality and relevance despite the passing of almost seventy years. Major plot points have been altered but the general theme remains the same as overworked restaurant staff go through their daily grind to put food on the table for demanding customers.

At the outset of 'La Cocina' $800 has gone missing from the till, resulting in an internal investigation which causes additional stress for employees. Meanwhile one of the cooks Pedro attempts to persuade his waitress lover not to abort their child. Many of the workers are immigrants, and the atmosphere is raucous, profane, coarse and combative. The B&W cinematography, flamboyant direction and astonishing acting capture these elements in a fantastic display of film-making pyrotechnics that leave one open-mouthed in admiration.

The screenplay's self-indulgent 140 minute length turns out to be the project's weak link. Several scenes go on too long - an interlude between the lunch and dinner service drags somewhat - and although Raul Briones' delivers a breathtaking performance, Pedro's histrionics become tiresome some time before the end. It's a pity, because there's so much to admire here.

Within the bustling confines of a Times Square eatery, a tumultuous ensemble of primarily immigrant cooks, waitstaff, and management struggle to navigate the frenzied lunch rush. This film is punctuated by intense, stress-inducing long-takes reminiscent of 'The Bear' and Barantini's 'Boiling Point', yet its narrative arc diverges significantly. Rather than focusing on the grind of preparing great food in a fancy restaurant, the story delves into the arduous journey of immigrants striving to survive. The ensemble cast delivers compelling performances, with Raúl Briones, stunning, and Rooney Mara powerful portrayals. The cinematography is breathtaking, capturing the essence of the narrative in an orchestrated chaos. A movie full of heart and heartbreak, it left a mark in the audience at the Berlinale film festival today.

A black and white comical tragedy or tragical comedy about various people who are attracted, like moths to a flame, to working in the kitchen of a famous restaurant on Times Square in New York. The working conditions are disgusting, the bosses are manipulative and threatening, most of the kitchen staff are illegal immigrants from places where life standard is considered to be worse than in US. But what can be worse? They are working under contant pressure, almost always tense and stressed, always yelled at, humiliated and even accused of crimes they didn't commit. The central characters, a local waitress and a Mexican chef, are more disturbed than the others; and they start sort of a love story and hell knows where it will end.

There's also humor, a lot of noise, sporadic fits of violence, a dream sharing session, some flirting with consequences, multiple languages (and multiple misunderstandings), food and drinks galore, a very tight schedule, obscene jokes and a ray of hope in everyone.

The international cast is great, the music is superb, the acting and photography are wonderful. The main theme, in my opinion, is how overrated the Times Square place is - the Cocina people go through so much suffering and maltreatment there, and they only got there in hope for a better life, the American dream. But is this the better life? True, it's not the lowest bottom level and most of them seem to get by but they, as everyone else, definitely deserve more than this overrated Times Square place has to offer.

This is a great film that would have been a magnificent film if it was an hour shorter. It felt victim to the same fate of Killers of the Flower Moon, a nearly 4 hour film, great, but tragically watered down its effect and affect due to its length.

Unlike others, I appreciated the decentralized plot for what it was and how it was used in the context of a Times Square mega-kitchen. It felt like a Pollack, which is how kitchen environments often feel. The vast ensemble cast from front house to back house, big man upstairs trickling down to misfits downstairs, long dizzying panoramic shots, and unexpected moments of deep intimacy/meaningfulness with arbitrary events and people using the extreme close ups, along with the kaleidoscope of sound, languages, and profanity created the luminous texture that is New York City. The acting was beautifully natural with no "acting natural", especially the outstanding work of Raúl Briones, the dream monologue from Motell Foster, and head chef Lee R. Sellers (they must've plucked him right out of a Brooklyn deli.) The sound design was spot on. The title treatments were wonderfully stylized. The DP work, I didn't see why it needed to be black and white for no reason and almost dismissed it as gimmick, but eventually it seemed to justify itself: it brought an element of timelessness to one of the only places that the temporal elements of tech and ai can't touch.

Certain legs of the plot seemed unnecessary, such as the ant-like pain aspect of Rooney Mara's character in the freezer room, it seemed to force depth where there wasn't any, the abortion aspect was enough for us to empathize with her journey. The sheer level of the flooded kitchen seemed a bit unrealistic and showy and for too long, I mean it looked like they were in the Titanic, a little water here and there in the most inconvenient places would have felt more chaotic. Also the supremacist dialogue about the superiority of white women "guera", was a big turn-off and left a bad flavour in my mouth, even if it was being said in jest by some goofy mannered man. Does it matter if it captured a real conversation that could happen? No. These are real things white supremacists think, and it's being reaffirmed and idealized here by someone brown? Why would you want to capture that sentiment? At least balance it with another dialogue from another man salivating over the superiority and perfection of brown women. Completely misguided attempt at realism with that.

The realism that did work was the simultaneous hate and camaraderie of coworkers, the carelessness of food prep, the manipulative ways of management, the personality disorders of people, and the bond-forming lunch breaks. Overall, it would have been a lot more effective if it was an 1h 20 min. By the middle of my shift, I just wanted to clock out from the chaos.

Unpopular opinion: not every movie needs a 2.5-hour runtime. "La Cocina" (who I've been wanting to watch since its "Sundance" premiere) is a perfect example of this, feeling unnecessarily drawn out and lacking depth. While the film has its strengths-like its exploration of multiculturalism in a Manhattan restaurant-too much of it feels disjointed and unfocused. The narrative tries to juggle too many elements, resulting in a plot that feels messy and uneven. At times, it almost feels like it would have worked better as a play rather than a movie.

That said, there are parts of "La Cocina" that truly stand out. The multicultural dynamics in the restaurant setting are fascinating, and I wish they had been explored more deeply. The cinematography is stunning, especially with its black-and-white visuals that add a striking, artistic flair. But despite these highlights, the film's ambition ultimately outweighs its execution, leaving it feeling more like a missed opportunity than a compelling watch.

La Cocina lasts 2:20 hours with a plot that could have been told in 60 minutes and lacks depth. Shot entirely in black and white, the play-like film takes place in a busy tourist restaurant in New York's Times Square, where mainly illegal immigrants from all over the world make their living.

Over a period of a day, various scenes thrown together with a mix of film elements show the everyday life of those who have little hope: getting ready, stressful preparations in the kitchen, arguments between the workforce, daydreaming during the break, a theft and a relationship between the cook Pedro and the waitress Julia, who wants to abort their baby.

The film has some funny points and some special experimental shots. But unfortunately the stories of the many characters that are presented largely remain untold. Instead, Ruizpalacios repeatedly chooses very flat dialogues and long close-ups that drag on like chewing gum. In addition, the depiction of the relationship between Pedro and Julia is so clichéd that it resembles a Bollywood film.

Overall, the film was boring to watch. If it hadn't been the world premiere at Berlinale film festival, I would have left after 30 minutes.

Director Alonso Ruizpalacios's film "La Cocina" impresses with its sophisticated staging, but this does not compensate for the weaknesses of the narrative. The interesting camera work with blurred images at the beginning of the film gives the work a dynamic opening, which then provides relief when the visual blurring dissipates again.

Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones Carmona are convincing in their roles, but even their impressive performances cannot alleviate the challenges that the main character demands of the viewer.

Unfortunately, the film fails to create an emotional bond with the main character. The protagonist seems overexcited, and his uncontrolled rage and the resulting violence against others are not only disturbing but also increasingly annoying. He symbolises a generation of young, disoriented men who have difficultiy finding their way and building stable relationships.

La Cocina's greatest weakness is its lack of constructive solutions. The film presents the problem, but does not offer a clear perspective or possible ways to overcome it. This leaves the viewer with a feeling of dissatisfaction and ultimately makes the film unsatisfying.