It’s okay if you’ve not heard of Mexican auteur Alonso Ruizpalacios. His critically-acclaimed films Güeros, heist thriller Museo, and A Cop Movie didn’t break through stateside, but they caught the attention of Hollywood nonetheless. The filmmaker has taken on gigs on popular TV shows including Outer Range, Narcos: Mexico, and even the next season of Andor. And that could draw attention to his next feature, La Cocina, a kitchen drama starring Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones that competed for the Golden Bear at Berlin earlier this year.
Mara and Briones star in the gorgeous black & white film about busy people working behind-the-scenes at a Manhattan restaurant during the lunch rush. Against this backdrop, an immigrant and dreamer falls in love with an American waitress while an investigation threatens to bring the kitchen to a halt.
Briones previously worked with Ruizpalacios on A Cop Movie, and this could be an eye-opening film for them both. Mara needs no introduction at this stage of her career. This is her first major lead role since 2022’s Women Talking, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. She’s not exactly prolific, but when Rooney takes on a film it is usually with top filmmakers with awards season potential.
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.
La Cocina opens October 25th at the Angelika in New York and November 1st at the Laemmle Monica, Los Angeles, with a national rollout to follow.
