Immigration, abortion and the eternal search for the American dream make up the ingredients of La Cocina, a new film that examines the United States’ most divisive issues through the microcosm of a New York restaurant kitchen.
The tense, claustrophobic drama stars Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as an American waitress at a bustling Times Square tourist trap staffed mainly by immigrants.
“It’s a film about contrasts – the contrast between back-of-house and front-of-house, between gringos and Mexicans, between the different hierarchies within a kitchen,” says Mexican director and writer Alonso Ruizpalacios.
“Kitchens are an easy way to understand the dynamics we experience on the streets.”