La Cocina

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1:50

La Cocina

R

Released Oct 25, 2024

2h 19m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 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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Mark Olsen

Los Angeles Times

Ruizpalacios creates a visual style that continues to reinvent itself right up to the end, crafting an unpredictable feeling that matches the volatile plotting.

Nov 1, 2024

Full Review

Beatrice Loayza

New York Times

Imagine such pressure — and, for many undocumented workers, the knowledge that you won’t be hired anywhere better. But Ruizpalacios diminishes these hard truths with flashy bids at profundity.

Oct 29, 2024

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

“La Cocina” is a phenomenal showcase for Briones, who gives one of the most mesmerizingly multi-faceted performances of the year.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 25, 2024

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

Liam Lacey

Original Cin

Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios updates Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play, The Kitchen to a contemporary New York restaurant in a drama that’s as thematically blunt as it is exhilaratingly theatrical in its critique of contemporary America.

Rated: A-minus

Dec 4, 2024

Full Review

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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

Ann L

A little long and chaotic. Nonetheless the film is masterful in its portrait of the lives led by the essential (but invisible) people that prepare and serve our food. I couldn’t look away.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

Full Review

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Alonso Ruizpalacios

Director

Raúl Briones

Pedro

Rooney Mara

Julia

Anna Diaz

Estela

Motell Gyn Foster

Nonzo

Laura Gómez

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La Cocina: Trailer 1

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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: Fifth Season, Seine Pictures, Filmadora, Panorama Global, Astrakan Film AB
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Pervasive Language|Graphic Nudity)
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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