If you don’t already know the name Alonso Ruizpalacios, “La Cocina” will likely put him on your radar. An acclaimed Mexican filmmaker known for critically acclaimed and awarded films like “Güeros” (2014), “Museum “(2018), and “A Cop Movie”(2021), Ruizpalacios has been building himself up as an artful indie auteur. And over the years, he’s also been catching Hollywood’s eye, tapped to do TV work on excellent shows which he elevated like “Outer Range,” “Narcos Mexico,” and the upcoming second and final season of “Andor.”
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And with “The Bear” becoming such a huge hit for FX, Ruizpalacios has had some perfect timing with releasing his own behind-the-scenes kitchen drama shot in a sumptuous and dreamy black and white. The film looks at the chaotic life of a busy restaurant in Manhattan, but it’s really about the people behind the scenes: immigrant and dreamers hoping for a better life.
The film stars Raúl Briones, Rooney Mara, Anna Diaz, Motell Foster, Oded Fehr, and Eduardo Olmos.
Here’s the official synopsis:
It’s the lunch rush at The Grill in Manhattan, and money has gone missing from the till. All the undocumented cooks are being investigated, and Pedro (Briones) is the prime suspect. He’s a dreamer and a troublemaker, and in love with Julia (Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship. Rashid, The Grill´s owner, has promised to help Pedro with his papers so he can “become legal”. But a shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral into an act that will stop the production line of one of the city’s busiest kitchens once and for all.
La Cocina is a tragic and comic tribute to the invisible people who keep our restaurants running and our stomachs full, whilst chasing a perhaps unreachable version of the American dream.
Written and directed by Ruizpalacios, based on the play “The Kitchen” by Arnold Weske, “La Cocina” opens October 25 at the Angelika in New York and November 1 at the Laemmle Monica, Los Angeles, followed by a national theatrical release. Watch the first trailer below.
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