Philip Barantini’s Boiling Point, starring Stephen Graham, is a one-take film that invites us into a London restaurant’s kitchen on the busiest night of the year.
Boiling Point is now on VOD in Canada and the US.
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Shot to look like a single, unbroken take, Philip Barantini’s Boiling Point is a thrilling actor’s showcase that invites you into the world of an acclaimed London restaurant. Our central character is head chef Andy (Stephen Graham), who struggles not to bring his fraught personal life into the kitchen. A standout in the film is his sous-chef, Carly (Vinette Robinson), Andy’s stressed-out right hand woman who’s always picking up the slack when Andy’s head is somewhere else.
The film is at its best when it’s exploring the hierarchy of the kitchen, from top dog Andy to the brand new trainees to the waiters who serve the food. Above all of them is the manager of the restaurant who understands very little about the labour involved with running a kitchen. The way blame is passed down the hierarchy when a mistake is made in this pressure cooker environment is fascinating and infuriating to watch; it will give anyone who’s ever worked a customer service job (myself included) angry flashbacks. Unfortunately, the film gets distracted from this really interesting material and starts manufacturing a lot of unnecessary conflict in the final act. Still, it’s a wildly entertaining ride full of amazing performances.
Boiling Point is now on VOD in Canada and the US.
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