The Chef

As someone who has worked in both a kitchen and behind the bar in several places, and my dad was a head chef until a few years ago, this hit very close to home and was borderline traumatic.

So my dad was head chef in this restaurant for years and I worked alongside him for a few of those. I can confidently say that the job caused a lot of the problems in my family, and it actually caused him to have a heart attack a few years back and forced him into a career change, which has been nothing but beneficial to us all.

When I worked there, there was crying staff almost daily, people quitting because they couldn't take it anymore, constant arguments between servers/FOH and kitchen staff, slack-offs thinking nothing of leaving their workload to other staff members, and customers who didn't care in the slightest about the people in uniform and had little respect for them.

Hospitality and kitchen work is horrible, even when it has it's spots of light, and I've never seen such an incredible portrayal of the job before. All done in one continuous take, It is such a well done, heartbreaking show of one of the hardest industries and I hope it shows some people some of the things they never think about when they go to a restaurant. Please watch this, and take it as a lesson on what the people working these jobs go through, because it's not at all far from the truth.

I remain amazed to the fact that all these actors could remain in character for the whole runtime of the film and still make me feel as if these people truly work in that environment. It keeps you engaged and in tension while the camera seamlessly moves across the whole restaurant without taking you out of the story for one second.

This is a compelling single shot drama set on a busy night in a high-end restaurant. The "oner" never feels like a gimmick here - especially as it was done for real and not stitched together (according to IMDB trivia the filmmakers used take 3 of 4) - making the continuous shot an immersive experience. Although the plot is relatively low-key, the performances are fantastic and real, led by the always watchable Stephen Graham. This is a great slice of life, funny and sad, and if nothing else a nice reminder: hell might be other people, but there's none worse than a customer acting like a jerk.

On a stylish level, this is an absolute stunning experience. To be presented in tracking shot (unbroken and without tricks) sends adrenaline rushes to the brain and it helps to get the right, nerve-wracking tone with the performances.

About the storyline, it has little cracks and not everything is perfect. But the pacing and the energy makes up for all the possibles shortcomings.

All in, a thrilling and compelling experience that demands to be watched even if it is not for everyone.

Breathtakingly shot in a single take and set entirely within a restaurant, Boiling Point captures the stresses and strains of working in this environment. Stephen Graham leads a brilliant ensemble cast all improvising a skeleton script. Who would have thought a seemingly normal night in a restaurant could provide such drama and tension. A must see 8.5 out of ten. A Q&A with some of the cast, the director and the brilliant director of photography was a nice bonus. They were meant to shoot it 8 times and choose the best of the 8. However, they were filming in March 2020 and they were shut down after the four takes for obvious reasons. A brilliant achievement.