Brighton Film Screening
A new film is coming to Brighton, exploring the lives of staff in a busy NYC restaurant kitchen. The movie delves into themes of immigration, racism, and the American Dream.
Dir: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cast: Raúl Briones, Rooney Mara, Anna Díaz, Motell Gyn Foster, Laura Gómez, Oded Fehr, James Waterston, Lee Sellars
139 mins · 2024 · Mexico, United States of America, Sweden · Cert 15 · English, Arabic, Spanish, French
IMDb 7.0/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 72% · Metacritic 75/100 · TMDB 6.9/10 · Trakt 70%
Awards: 17 wins & 32 nominations total
Are you interested in a film that explores the complexities of working in a restaurant kitchen? La Cocina is a drama-comedy that follows the story of Pedro, a chef, and Julia, a waitress, as they navigate their relationships and the challenges of working in the hospitality industry. The film features a dynamic and fast-paced portrayal of life in the kitchen, with a cast that includes Rooney Mara, Raúl Briones, and Anna Díaz.
What kind of film is La Cocina? It is a 139-minute drama-comedy film directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, with a certificate of 15. The film is a Mexican, American, and Swedish production, with a mix of languages including English, Arabic, Spanish, and French. The movie has received high scores from various review platforms, including IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, TMDB, and Trakt.
How was the film received? La Cocina has been praised for its bold and stylized cinematography, as well as its thoughtful and nuanced exploration of the characters and their experiences. The film has won 17 awards and received 32 nominations, including a nomination for the Golden Bear award at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival. On Wednesday, 4 November 2026, the film will be screened at the Duke of York's Picturehouse in Brighton, and tickets are with the button beside the article.
Stills
What viewers say
manicure · 6/10
This has little to do with the kitchen or with the profession itself. At its core, it’s the familiar tale of immigrants exploited as manual labor in pursuit of the American dream, give or take. Its main appeal lies in the presentation, which feels stylish and surreal in the way a musical or stage play does, while also somewhat gritty in how it drains color from its surroundings and squeezes everything into a claustrophobic 4:3 frame. Is it…
Read on Trakt
mbze430 · 7/10
definitely a good film. I wouldn't be able to relate as I never worked retail or food industry, and I know why I wouldn't be able to handle all that craziness! I have witness the immigrant aspect of the film as a bystander. What stands out is Nozo's monologue. People come to this America to search for a dream and make it "big". you can define your "big", fame, money...etc...
Read on Trakt
miguelreina · 6/10
It has the power of a resounding message that expands throughout the film and finally explodes in the powerful final sequence. But there's also a tendency toward excess, both visually and dramaturgically, lost in the theatricality of the dialogue, which Alonso Ruizpalacios attempts to compensate for with his usual virtuosity, a hallmark that also sometimes becomes a burden that envelops his stories with an overly sensational aesthetic. There's a…
Read on Trakt
jeroenvanstrien · 6/10
Theatrical, but it is a film adaptation of a play for a reason. The kitchen at the popular restaurant ‘The Grill’ is largely run by immigrants without residency status, and thus in a vulnerable position. Good obervations on the dark side of capitalism. The film does go on a bit too long and is at times exhausting.
Read on Trakt
CinemaSerf · 6/10
If you saw “Boiling Point” (2021) then you’ll get the gist of this drama set in an hectic New York restaurant kitchen. “The Grill” might look peaceful to the customers, but it’s kitchen is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and attitudinal melting pot of cooks, waitresses and cleaners under the guidance of a no-nonsense chef (Lee Sellars) and a slimy manager “Luis” (Eduardo Olmos). It’s this latter man who finds there’s a problem one morning when…
Read on TMDB
badelf · 8/10
La Cocina: Society in a Pressure Cooker Not every film needs to be an Aesop's fable, and "La Cocina" understands this perfectly. Alonso Ruizpalacios has crafted an impressive slice-of-life film that elevates the genre by compressing time, making everything that can happen in a restaurant kitchen visible within 139 minutes. That alone is worth the price of admission. What makes the film remarkable is how successfully it offers a bird's eye view…
Read on TMDB
Comments
Sign in to your Hidden Beach account to comment.
Loading comments…