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La Cocina

Play trailer 1:50 Poster for La Cocina R 2024 2h 19m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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72% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 76% 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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La Cocina

La Cocina

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Critics Consensus

While overlong and certainly heavy-handed in its controlled chaos, Alonso Ruizpalacios' tense direction and a mesmerizing performance from Raúl Briones help to make La Cocina a sharp and savory social critique.

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Critics Reviews

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Maria M. Delgado Sight & Sound Nov 5
Ruizpalacios captures the precarious existence of these workers – the dreams they nurture and the pressures of the toxic work environment – through an almost musical cinematic rhythm that’s matched by Tomás Barreiro’s pulsating score. Go to Full Review
Jake Wilson Sydney Morning Herald May 14
2/5
Unfortunately, La Cocina is well over two hours long, and the hectic rhythm the film strives for, occasional lulls aside, isn’t matched by any great degree of narrative momentum. Go to Full Review
Wendy Ide Observer (UK) Apr 1
3/5
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. Go to Full Review
Marcelo Paredes Cinencuentro Jun 17
...[La Cocina's] narrative disorder and the desire to tell three films within one make it, by pure miracle, a barely passable film and only that. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Filipe Freitas Always Good Movies May 25
3.5/5
La Cocina thrives primarily on its kinetic energy, with bursts of anger pushed deliberately to extremes, while also grappling with the dehumanizing mechanisms of an overburdened capitalist system that traps its workers. Go to Full Review
David Griffiths Subculture Entertainment May 25
2.5/5
Begins on the right path but loses direction. Even some brilliant acting performances can't prevent this from becoming an aimless mess. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Maai K Oct 8 A hellish film. The kitchen literally turns into hell. See more MB C @MB.Cinema Sep 16 Filmed in stark black and white, La Cocina captures the chaos of a Manhattan restaurant kitchen as a microcosm of class struggle and personal collapse.....The first half crackles with raw energy and realism, but the film loses focus when it sidelines Estela’s story for chef Pedro’s melodrama.... Strong performances and bold direction make it compelling, though its imbalance keeps it from fully satisfying.... See more Dani G Jul 8 Excellent piece of work in all aspects. Very entertaining and original film, one of those that flies under the radar inexplicably See more florencia L @Florencel Jun 28 It has a nice camera and a good performance; nevertheless, it is a very ambitious movie, with too many important topics that are not well explored but too dramatised, losing their importance. Reality is hard enough as it is. Firstly, the restaurant and service. The working conditions in the kitchen, which are unique to that line of work, to the level of exploitation, where staff burnout is normalised and expected. The complexity of the relationship between the couple, their choices, and different cultural expressions and understanding of life is not explored enough to create a connection with the characters. Most importantly, the systematic and stereotypical treatment and opportunities towards immigrants (even with legal papers). These are all massive topics and probably too big to grasp in just one movie. See more Wayne M May 23 La Cocina is a propulsive, highly energised film that is gripping and thrilling at various times. It captures beautifully working in the kitchen of a large restaurant with skill and devotion. Made by Mexican filmmaker Alonzo Ruizpalacios, the film is set in a large tourist destination restaurant in Times Square, New York named The Grill. There we follow both back of house and front of house staff as they battle each other over the course of a day. Pedro is a central character, a fiery chef who is in a relationship with waitress Julia. When money goes missing from the previous day's take tensions rise between management and staff. Many of the staff are illegal immigrants too, so there is underlying uncertainty through out. This superb film is full of tension and explosive behaviour. It's chaotic and hectic and often thrilling. Raul Briones is a wonder as the hotheaded Pedro, whilst Rooney Mara adds class to the film as well. There is a real life force to this ambitious and driven film. See more May 14 Like a gourmet dish, La Cocina is layered with nuanced flavours. It’s rich and fulfilling, with unexpected sweetness and bite. You might walk away from a great meal groaning and feeling a bit groggy – with La Cocina, it’s the opposite. It’s a clear-eyed and modern story, one that feels super tapped into today’s economic and social fabric. And while it makes some heavy points, it doesn’t drift away from entertaining us. Read our full take on La Cocina at good.film: good.film/guide/la-cocina-is-the-mouthwatering-new-kitchen-drama-tackling-exploitation See more Read all reviews
La Cocina

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Movie Info

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
Fifth Season, Seine Pictures, Filmadora, Panorama Global, Astrakan Film AB
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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