‘La Cocina’ raises the heat on kitchen power dynamics. It’s where Rooney Mara wants to be

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As I delve into the captivating world of Rooney Mara and her latest project “La Cocina,” I find myself deeply moved by the poignant reflections she shares about motherhood and its transformative impact on her life and career choices. Her candidness about the sacrifices she’s made to prioritize her children resonates profoundly with me as a fellow parent, and I can’t help but admire her commitment to her family.

For seven years prior to DACA, I worked as both a cashier and cook when necessary at a fast-food joint in Southeast Los Angeles. Most of my colleagues there, similar to myself, were undocumented immigrants. Together, we endured shared struggles and celebrated small victories late into the night for minimum wage. We were constantly on the move, keeping pace with an order ticket machine that never seemed to slow down.

In the central setting of Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “La Cocina,” a monotonous mechanical entity persistently teases the employees at the fictitious Times Square eatery, serving as a modern interpretation of British playwright Arnold Wesker’s 1957 work, “The Kitchen.

70 years since its original staging, the drama’s cautionary tale about valuing productivity over humanity continues to resonate painfully in today’s cutthroat world. Opening in theaters this Friday, “La Cocina” portrays the false sense of camaraderie born in intense work environments where individuals lean on each other to survive the day-to-day grind. It also sheds light on the intricate power structures within an economic system that flourishes by exploiting the marginalized and underprivileged – those who often go unnoticed.

The film by Ruizpalacios is set in a timeless New York City where antique phone booths and old computers are found alongside contemporary elements. In this story, Peter, a German character from post-WWII times, is transformed into Pedro (played by Raúl Briones), an impulsive Mexican immigrant from Puebla. Pedro’s bold nature has won him both admiration and disdain among his fellow workers.

In case funds from the cash register mysteriously disappear, Pedro emerges as the main person of interest, since the missing sum coincides precisely with the expenses for an abortion that he unwillingly consents to cover, once his server girlfriend, Julia (played by Rooney Mara), discloses her pregnancy.

An investigation begins in the usual chaos that characterizes high-stress food service settings (anger outbursts, despair). Here, the powerful take advantage of the powerless. It’s a miniature version of society and its flaws, not only because different languages can be heard echoing throughout the steamy surroundings.

Ruizpalacios initially encountered “The Kitchen” during his acting studies in London around the 2000s. To finance his education, he also worked at a popular but now-closed restaurant called Rainforest Café in Piccadilly Circus, known for its animatronic animals. This job sparked his interest in kitchens and their patterns due to his direct experience.

After that period, Ruizpalacios recalls a French Algerian colleague named Samira, who was the sole woman in the kitchen and a strong, earthy maternal figure. In “La Cocina,” a character inspired by Samira (and named after her) makes an appearance.

Ruizpalacios, aged 47, describes her from a Zoom call at home in Mexico City: she was firm and unyielding, yet never one to shy away when trouble struck, she’d be the first to offer aid. She had a knack for saying, ‘Come on, fellow Mexican, step up!’

Without any link to Rooney Mara, yet firmly believing she was the right fit for the character of Julia, the daring Ruizpalacios penned her a letter explaining why she should seize the opportunity and travel to Mexico City to collaborate on an independent film with a team of largely unrecognized actors.

Ruizpalacios expresses that Pedro perceives Julia as having a movie-star quality, similar to Rooney Mara. He explains that using someone recognized and possessing that enchanting screen presence would enhance the portrayed relationship. Impressed by Mara’s powerful yet vulnerable acting in “The Girl with Dragon Tattoo” and her delicate fragility in “Carol,” he developed a deep appreciation for her performances.

To his surprise, Mara responded positively to his “message in a bottle at sea.”

Mara, aged 39, shares during our video chat from her LA residence, adorned casually in a gray T-shirt with her hair styled in a half-ponytail, “I’ve encountered many of them, and I must say it’s always heartening to receive such letters. However, I wouldn’t claim they’re consistently highly impactful. Yet, the poetry in his letter resonated deeply with me, stirring my interest in him and his work.

As a movie enthusiast, I eagerly asked Ruizpalacios to share his previous works with me (he generously sent over his two critically acclaimed films set in Mexico City – the 2014 coming-of-age dramedy “Güeros” and the 2018 heist movie “Museo”). Not long after, I was thrilled to be cast in “La Cocina.

Mara expresses that her time has become extremely valuable since she has children. What matters most to her now is having meaningful experiences. She questions whether an experience will be worthwhile and if it can lead to personal growth. When Alonso proposed making the film, it resonated with her as a unique opportunity. It seemed unlike anything she had tackled before.

In 2010, Ruizpalacios directed a stage adaptation of “The Kitchen.” At that time, Briones, a student in Ruizpalacios’ acting classes, played smaller roles: first as an immigrant restaurant owner seeking his missing money, and later as a drifter who enters the kitchen. Speaking from Mexico City over the phone, Briones describes Pedro as a character straddling two stereotypes – the successful immigrant and the outcast. He adds that Pedro is struggling to assert control over his own life.

However, despite collaborating with Briones on various projects, including his latest film “A Cop Movie” in 2021, the director initially did not consider him for the role of Pedro. This was due to the fact that the director was aware that Briones does not speak English, a crucial aspect for the character.

“One of his greatest qualities as an actor is his discipline,” Ruizpalacios says of Briones.

In only three months, the actor mastered the foreign language sufficiently to keep pace with Mara in numerous scenes. Impressively, Ruizpalacios remarks on the dedication of his lead, stating that it would be difficult for anyone to grasp another language so quickly and perform comfortably within that timeframe.

For Briones, learning English — even in the movie’s limited capacity — had an empowering effect. In Mexico, those who grow up attending public schools, as was his case, don’t have access to a bilingual education. For a long time, Briones refused to speak or learn the language as a self-defense mechanism against the mockery he’d experience from others.

According to Briones, Pedro has been an exceptional teacher for him, being a bilingual character capable of standing up for himself. Pedro’s relentless pursuit of English was driven by necessity, and so was my choice not to use it. When given the chance to play the main role, Briones adopted a more technical approach in mastering English with Maria Fernanda Bosque, one of his co-stars from “La Cocina,” acting as an impromptu tutor.

For “La Cocina”, exterior scenes were filmed on-site in New York City, featuring Times Square and Junior’s Restaurant & Bakery as the front of the Grill. However, to work in a place close to his heart, the director chose to film the kitchen scenes at Mexico City’s renowned Estudios Churubusco, where numerous cinematic classics from the Golden Age were produced. This decision also gave him greater freedom in designing the kitchen set.

Ruizpalacios compares kitchens to pirate ships and submarines in their design, explaining that our kitchen was conceptualized in a similar way. Given that kitchens often have a strong male presence, the director chose a traditional Welsh male choir to sing the lyrics of “Un Puño de Tierra” (A Fistful of Dirt), translated into Welsh, over music by Tomás Barreiro. This song’s philosophical lyrics express the emptiness of material possessions.

The track comes on during Pedro’s most emotionally charged moments: when he looks at the pictures of his family (they’re photos from Briones’ actual childhood) and when he calls his mother back home (the person who answers is Briones’ own mother).

“That song became the beating heart of the film,” says Ruizpalacios.

For the rehearsal process Ruizpalacios brought together his cast, with the exception of Mara, in Mexico City for a month. In the mornings they all took cooking classes and in the afternoons they participated in improvisation exercises to build a natural rapport. Though she regrets missing it, Mara believes that ultimately being absent from the in-person preparation aligned with her character’s position as an outsider.

Mara expresses that once one assumes the role of a parent, a carefree aspect of their life vanishes. Interestingly, this is what distinguishes her fictional character as a mother from her colleagues in the workplace.

As time goes by, Mara has found herself becoming more choosy due to her focus on her children. She admits that there have been instances where she’s made questionable choices or taken actions she later regretted. Previously, she felt the need to work excessively as a means of escaping her personal life. However, in the last six years, she has barely worked at all, only taking on two projects: Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” and Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking.” Despite this limited work, she has managed to select high-quality projects that reflect her discerning taste.

The kitchen, known as ‘La Cocina,’ was always an exhilarating sanctuary for her. During a hectic lunch period, it transformed into a chaotic spectacle. Cooks and waitresses were in a race to serve their orders first amidst the pandemonium, with spilled soda adding to the mayhem on the floor.

As I reflect on the experience, I can’t help but liken it to a beautifully choreographed dance routine. Spanning several days, each moment seemed to flow effortlessly into the next, much like a captivating performance on stage. Although my adult life has been devoid of traditional theater, this project felt remarkably akin. The long, uninterrupted takes and the collective energy that filled every scene brought me back to those enchanting days of live theater.

The story originated from one of Ruizpalacios’ personal experiences. On Christmas Eve 13 years ago in New York City, the director and his actress wife found themselves at a multiplex in Times Square. As they were purchasing concessions, he noticed that the carpet was soaked. It seemed as though the source of the liquid was a broken Cherry Coke machine, spewing forth like an endless fountain, reminiscent of a gushing spring or even water bubbling up from the Earth’s core.

“He remembers no one seemed to notice it,” he says. “It persistently drizzled and inundated the entire area. Despite this, people simply carried on working, disregarding it. I thought this scene symbolized modern-day capitalism perfectly.” The couple reminisced about watching “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, featuring Mara. “I told my wife, ‘One day I’ll collaborate with her.’ So, this film completed that loop,” he added.

Working together with the Mexican Coalition, an advocacy group for immigrant families, Ruizpalacios spoke to numerous undocumented kitchen workers residing in New York City regarding their everyday lives. These conversations played a crucial role in his research and creative work. According to Ruizpalacios, “It becomes clear that no one has ever bothered to listen to their personal narratives before.

According to Briones, Mexicans have a reputation for being excellent workers globally, which is positive, but it’s also because we are compliant. Being compliant makes things easier for the system, he notes. However, Pedro is not compliant. Disregarding orders is seen as revolutionary.

For the American debut of “La Cocina,” distributor Willa collaborated with One Fair Wage, an organization advocating for restaurant workers, to host a series of screenings and events. A video showcase, comprising snippets from the movie combined with real-life documentary footage of NYC restaurant workers, was recently displayed on the massive NASDAQ billboard in Times Square. Ruizpalacios had always envisioned this level of exposure for the hardworking men and women who often put their physical and mental health at risk to deliver a service that is often undervalued by many.

In “La Cocina,” as he explains, the focus isn’t on the customers. Instead, this time, they play supporting roles, which is the main theme of the movie.

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2024-10-31 13:32