La Cocina
Based on the 1957 stage play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker, filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios brings LA COCINA to the big screen. This exquisite drama follows the staff at a restaurant in Times Square and the coordinated (and uncoordinated) chaos behind the scenes. It is a beautiful character study that will punch you in the gut.
The black and white cinematography from Juan Pablo Ramirez screams stage play in all the best ways. Mixed with intimate closeups and follow shots, it is an intricately choreographed dance boasting framing that will linger long after the credits roll.
The opening monologue sets the scene for the city’s chaotic reality. The dialogue is funny, authentic, and brutal. Performances are top-notch across the board. The delicious ensemble cast nails every beat.
Motell Foster plays dessert chef, Nonzo. His philosophical kindness makes him something like the Gandolf of the kitchen. Foster is magnificent. Oded Fehr plays The Grill’s owner with an overbearing swagger that slowly spoils as the plot thickens. Fehr delivers the irony of the American Dream.
Laura Gómez lives in her role as a waitress on her first day. Gómez’s intensity is transformative. Anna Diaz gives Estela the wide-eyed, tentative nature that represents the inner voice of the entire staff.
Rooney Mara plays Julia with a fiery sass and life-weathered exhaustion. Raúl Briones delivers humor and depth as Pedro. His cheeky personality is a facade for unresolved trauma. Mara and Briones have a fierce chemistry akin to Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare‘s Much Ado About Nothing. But it is Raúl Briones who owns the heart of this brilliant film. This performance is nothing short of award-worthy.
LA COCINA confronts racism and socioeconomic privilege head-on. The script challenges cultural boundaries. The characters are a melting pot that perfectly captures the true essence of the city and, quite frankly, America. Any real New Yorker will tell you that at any given moment, LA COCINA is happening in real time. It’s an unforgettable emotional rollercoaster
A Film by Alonso Ruizpalacios
Starring Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones
October 25 / Angelika, NY
November 1 / Laemmle Monica, LA
followed by a national theatrical release
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.
WRITER & DIRECTOR: Alonso Ruizpalacios, based on the play “The Kitchen”, by Arnold Wesker
PRODUCERS: Ramiro Ruiz, Gerardo Gatica, Alonso Ruizpalacios, Lauren Mann, Ivan Orlic
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Juan Pablo Ramírez
CAST: Raúl Briones, Rooney Mara, Anna Diaz, Motell Foster, Oded Fehr, Eduardo Olmos
U.S. Distributor: Willa
Mexico, U.S. / English and Spanish / 139min
PÁRVULOS 
Two surprising performances will blow you away, but I won’t spoil that with specifics. I will only say that Norma Flores and Horacio Lazo give us everything they’ve got. Our three young brothers are magnificent. Mateo Ortega Casillas gives Benny the right amount of innocence and rebellion. Leonardo Cervantes delivers vulnerability and compassion as Oliver. Farid Escalante Correa gives Salvador a perfect mix of resentment and raging hormones. Together, they warm and break your heart.
Save one or two, a group predominantly of elitist little shits wage war against the weaker for power. To no one’s surprise, these kids could not care less about following the religious aspects of the camp’s intentions, instead actively torturing the child with the darkest skin. Perhaps the saddest part is how the hatred spreads so quickly.
Outside the inner workings of the boys, there is a grander racism playing out beyond the chain link fence of the camp. A hole brings fear that an outsider has infiltrated the grounds. Slowly, we discover the nefarious intentions of the staff, the indoctrination of following orders, and never questioning authority.
The film plays out in two distinct acts. Once in the woods, the fractures widen, and smaller groups become exceedingly hostile. This Lord Of The Flies meets The Village script is exhilarating. My nerves almost could not take it. Performances are extraordinary. The film speaks to a growing global evil in Christofascism, sexual abuse in the church, and the destruction of otherness. A HOLE IN THE FENCE displays toxic masculinity at its core. It is a sick test and focuses on the myth of manhood. It is a microcosm, and we should all be afraid.
What We Leave Behind is not only Iliana Sosa‘s documentary feature debut but also a loving ode to her grandfather. SXSW22 audiences follow an intimate portrait of the family patriarch in his final years. Tirelessly loyal to his family, Julián Moreno endured monthly 17-hour bus rides from his home in Primo de Verdad to El Paso. He did everything in his power to show his loved ones how much they meant to him. Sosa documents her grandfather’s trips into town, his morning routine, and the construction of a new family home from the ground up. She takes what might seem mundane and creates personal magic. Her sporadic voiceovers add an unexpected but soul effecting layer to the narrative. Alongside this device, she captures the life-breath of Mexico and its everyday hum. It is fair to say that I was weeping at the end. Along her journey to know her grandfather, Sosa invites us to be another member of her family.
Every once in a blue moon a film comes along that pushes you past your own emotional boundaries. The heaviness of the stories in Identifying Features swallows you whole. You are forced to confront the realities that are far too often swept under the political rug here in the US and are dreaded in Mexico. With a score that vibrates your already unsettled soul, the handheld cinematography puts you in the shoes of any one of these individuals getting shoved back across the border… And those who don’t ever make it. The alternating scenes from a mother to a son build up a visceral tension to an ending that is beyond shocking. The intimacy of the sound editing and long lingering beautifully shot close-ups force you to remain engaged no matter how badly you’d like to look away. Identifying Features is brilliant in its unyielding honesty. You will sink so far into the depths of these families’ grief, digging out will take more time than you’ll realize. It’s nothing short of captivating.
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