As my fellow foodies will know, there's nothing quite like the mouth-watering thrill of watching a professional chef putting the finishing touches on a meal. But in recent years, the food itself has taken a backseat to a new genre of entertainment: high-stress, high-stakes portrayals of the inner workings of commercial kitchens. Whether it's the dramatics of a family-run sandwich shop on The Bear, or the terrifying happenings of an exclusive, high end restaurant in The Menu, our appetite for kitchen-focused dramas has never been higher. And now, there's a a new film here to curb our cravings: La Cocina. Hungry for more? Below, why La Cocina is your next must-watch.
What is La Cocina about?
La Cocina borrows its plot from Andrew Wesker’s 1957 play, The Kitchen. While Wesker's play is set in London, La Cocina shifts the action a fictional restaurant, The Grill, in New York's Times Square. The entire film is shot in black and white, which only works to emphasise that it's not the food that's deserving of your attention here, but the inner workings of the kitchen and its staff.
The stakes at The Grill are raised even further by the fact that the majority of the back-of-house staff are underpaid, illegal immigrants, who risk possible deportation if they're reported by their boss. Against this backdrop, much of the action centres around chef Pedro, and waitress Julia — who happens to be Pedro's girlfriend, and who also happens to be taking the day off to get an abortion. When Pedro is accused of stealing $800 (coincidentally, the same amount Julia needs for her abortion), things really ramp up.
Who is involved in La Cocina?
Pedro is played by Raúl Briones Carmona, an up-and-c0ming Mexian actor, while the role of Julia is brought to life by two-time Academy Award nominee, Rooney Mara Phoenix.
Behind the scenes, La Cocina is the creative brainchild of filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios, who has reportedly been cooking up a film of this kind for more than two decades. Speaking to AnOther, Ruizpalacios siad the project was in-part inspired by his own expeirence working at London's Rainforest Cafe. “The kitchen and restaurant staff resented each other. I witnessed it first-hand. When you’re in it, it’s not fun. But when you step outside, it’s hilarious," he said.
He also mused on his inspiration, saying he considered the film to be "anti-food porn." Instead, “it’s showing the ugly side of the food industry where it’s about quantity, not quality. It’s about a middle-of-the-road restaurant for middle-class tourists, the kind that populate Times Square and Piccadilly Circus.”
Where to watch La Cocina
You won't go hungry, because La Cocina is showing at select cinemas across Australia now. It's also available to rent and own on Prime Video.
Feature image via IMDb.
