La Cocina

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1:50

La Cocina

R

Released Oct 25, 2024

2h 19m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

La Cocina captures the frenetic energy of the lunch rush at The Grill, a bustling restaurant in Manhattan's Times Square. When money goes missing from the till, suspicion falls on Pedro (Raúl Briones), an undocumented cook who dreams of a better life and is in love with Julia (Rooney Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship. Rashid, the restaurant owner, has promised to help Pedro obtain legal status, but a shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral into an act that threatens to shut down one of the city's busiest kitchens once and for all. The film is a comic and tragic tribute to the invisible people who keep our restaurants running and our stomachs full, all while chasing an elusive version of the American dream.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Parts of it are excellent: there’s a propulsive, unpredictable energy to the kitchen during the midday rush; the direction, and the agile choreography of cast and camera, are breathtaking.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2025

Full Review

Jonathan Romney

Financial Times

Unashamedly heavy on the seasoning, certainly, but a feast nonetheless.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 28, 2025

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Ruizpalacios’s thrilling, sprawling drama takes on late-stage capitalism, exploitation and the precariousness of immigrant life in extravagant style.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 28, 2025

Full Review

Saskia Baron

The Arts Desk

...the lengthy running time and the director’s inability to know when to let us ask for the bill and go home, stops La Cocina from being quite as great as it could have been.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 26, 2025

Full Review

Violeta Kovacsics

Otroscines.com

... at times, virtuosity seems to engulf the characters and the metaphor becomes oversimplified. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Jan 21, 2025

Full Review

Anne Brodie

What She Said

Takes its chances at 139 minutes, every second a high pitch besides which it’s stagey and stilted at times and in sum, utterly exhausting. But it spotlights the plight of undocumented immigrants trying to make a wage, avoid capture and deportation

Rated: 2/4

Dec 6, 2024

Full Review

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Jackie K

Overwrought and overlong. The only relief is the end sequence which is unintentionally hilarious.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

Full Review

Alec B

It sees diverse working class people honestly and as a result the ending feels earned.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

Full Review

LABEL 2

不属于底层劳工的场域从未真正出现在影片中，而空间的高度限缩让小型社会机器中复杂的人物关系与系统性的剥削得到了充分展现。有赖于导演高超的技巧与调度能力，压抑、反抗、荒诞都融入了这持续流动的光怪陆离中，从视听上直接挑动观众的神经。“你们到底想要什么？”这标示着巨大社会裂痕的质问或许有一个答案：带佩德罗和其他无数外劳逃离这无形牢狱的、闪着绿光的“外星人”。

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

Full Review

Roy R

From the very first minute, La cocina grips you with its escalating tension. The film masterfully portrays the unraveling of its main character, taking us on a harrowing journey from evident eccentricity to full-blown madness. Every detail, no matter how small, contributes to the immersive chaos, making the story feel both intimate and universal. This is not just a tale about one man’s descent; it’s an exploration of how everyday conflicts, when left unchecked, can break even the strongest among us. The atmosphere is heavy, the stakes feel real, and the storytelling is deeply visceral. La cocina is an intense, thought-provoking experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/25

Full Review

Pedro X

First experience with something from Ruizpalacios and could not have been better, despite the final arc being a little lost in itself it did not changed the astonished emotion that it gave me, really abducted me to the world created.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/25

Full Review

Mount G

This movie is the innovative, chaotic, and entertaining. The visual aesthetics do the rest. Amazingly good.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

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Alonso Ruizpalacios

Director

Raúl Briones

Pedro

Rooney Mara

Julia

Anna Diaz

Estela

Motell Gyn Foster

Nonzo

Laura Gómez

Laura

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La Cocina: Trailer 1

1:50

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Synopsis

La Cocina captures the frenetic energy of the lunch rush at The Grill, a bustling restaurant in Manhattan's Times Square. When money goes missing from the till, suspicion falls on Pedro (Raúl Briones), an undocumented cook who dreams of a better life and is in love with Julia (Rooney Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship. Rashid, the restaurant owner, has promised to help Pedro obtain legal status, but a shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral into an act that threatens to shut down one of the city's busiest kitchens once and for all. The film is a comic and tragic tribute to the invisible people who keep our restaurants running and our stomachs full, all while chasing an elusive version of the American dream.

Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Producer: Gerardo Gatica González, Lauren Mann, Ivan Orlic, Ramiro Ruiz
Screenwriter: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Distributor: WILLA
Production Co: Panorama Global, Astrakan Film AB, Filmadora, Fifth Season, Seine Pictures
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Graphic Nudity|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 25, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2025
Runtime: 2h 19m

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