La cocina

is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios. The film is based on the 1957 stage play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker.

The film stars Raúl Briones Carmona, Rooney Mara, Anna Diaz, Motell Foster, Oded Fehr, Eduardo Olmos and Spenser Granese.

It had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2024.

Premise
Set at a restaurant in Manhattan, New York.

Cast

 * Raúl Briones Carmona as Pedro
 * Rooney Mara as Julia
 * Anna Diaz as Estela
 * Eduardo Olmos as Luis
 * Motell Foster as Nonz
 * Oded Fehr as Rashid
 * Laura Gómez as Laura
 * James Waterston as Mark
 * Lee Sellars as Chef
 * Spenser Granese as Max
 * Julia Haltigan as Trisha

Production
In April 2022, it was announced Rooney Mara had joined the cast of the film, with Alonso Ruizpalacios directing from a screenplay he wrote.

Principal photography took place in Mexico City.

Release
It had its world premiere in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2024.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10.

Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com called the film, "a monumental work of righteous anger" that "aim at the grinding, chewing machinery of not only the American dream but the remnant of the failed egalitarian promise of the industrial commerce." The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney wrote, "There’s a surging life force felt in every scene of Alonso Ruizpalacios’ superbly acted La Cocina — at times ebullient but more often on edge, if not careening dangerously toward disaster or violence. " Indiewire's David Ehrlich gave the film a B, writing, "The more that “La Cocina” alternates between operatic long-takes and grease-stained close-ups, the more you can feel its characters fighting to retain their souls in the face of a parable that’s eager to cast them as collateral damage. " In a more critical review, Screen International's Lee Marshall wrote, "This constant striving for symbolic import sums up the issues of a maximalist drama that is full of drive, ideas and ambition, but charts no satisfying dramatic arc, and too often feels simply strident. "

Accolades
The film was selected in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, thus it was nominated to compete for Golden Bear award.