The story in Boiling Point (2021), directed by Philip Barantini is simple; following the day of a grumpy chef Andy (Stephen Jones) in London and all the drama that ensues running his kitchen the day before Christmas. The approach of shooting the film in a single take captured the vibe of the restaurant by compressing all the tension of the drama arising through the characters. Watching the film reminded me about how working in food service relies on all the pieces to work smoothly: the chef, sous chef, hostess, servers, food runners, and dishwashers. In Boiling Point, none of them do. Everything is falling apart for the kitchen and its head chef. And he keeps drinking from a bottle that is most definitely not water.
Still from Boiling Point. Left to right: Carly (Vinette Robinson), Freeman (Ray Panthaki), and Andy (Stephen Graham)
Still of the character Andy
Boiling Point is hard to watch but you can’t stop watching. You feel everyone’s stress, frustration, and don’t know when it’s going to be too much and implode.
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