La Cocina

Estela arrives at The Grill, a restaurant in New York City that keeps its kitchen running on the backbreaking labor of Latin American immigrants. These workers are lured by the promise of help in obtaining U.S. residence permits, a promise that often goes unfulfilled. One of the restaurant's top and most hardworking cooks, Pedro, helps Estela navigate the chaotic environment of the kitchen. However, Pedro is on the brink of burnout, driven by his bosses' broken promises to secure him a visa, his explosive and passionate personality, and his complicated love life. He is entangled in a relationship with a white US woman that could lead to marriage and fatherhood, further fueling his struggle to obtain a residence permit and stabilize his life.

La Cocina is a story of Mexican migrant labor in the U.S. that resonates far beyond its setting, speaking to broader realities of migrant workers across the Global North. Through a combination of dramatic cinematic techniques, absurdity, and satire, viewers are exposed to the anxiety, frustration, and passion of migrant service workers, central figures in today's political and social landscape. Raw and intense, Ruizpalacios presents a powerful commentary on migration, labor, and human resilience. (GR)