Boiling Point (2021 film)

Boiling Point is a 2021 British drama film directed by Philip Barantini and starring Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Ray Panthaki and Hannah Walters. It is a one-shot film set in a restaurant kitchen. It is an expansion of a 2019 short film of the same name, also directed by Barantini and starring Graham.[2][3] It was originally planned to record eight takes of the film, but it was only possible to film half of these before a COVID lockdown led to the end of the shoot.[4]

Boiling Point
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPhilip Barantini
Written by
  • Philip Barantini
  • James Cummings
Produced by
  • Hester Ruoff
  • Bart Ruspoli
Starring
CinematographyMatthew Lewis
Edited byAlex Fountain
Music by
  • Aaron May
  • David Ridley
Production
companies
  • Ascendant Films
  • Burton Fox Films
Distributed byVertigo Releasing
Release dates
  • 23 August 2021 (2021-08-23) (Karlovy Vary)
  • 7 January 2022 (2022-01-07) (United Kingdom)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$705,045[1]

The film premiered at the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 23 August 2021.[5] It was released in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2022.[6] The film was met with critical acclaim. At the 75th British Academy Film Awards, the film received four nominations: Outstanding British Film, Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer (writer James Cummings and producer Hester Ruoff), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Graham) and Best Casting (Carolyn Mcleod).[7]

Plot

Andy Jones is Head Chef of Jones & Sons, an up-market restaurant in London. Andy is embarrassed to learn that his restaurant has been downgraded from a 5 star Health and Safety rating to 3 stars during a review, attributed to Andy's poor record keeping as a result of his recent divorce. The evening's service is overbooked; this includes a marriage proposal as well as Celebrity Chef Alastair Skye, whom Andy previously worked for plus his guest for the evening, a known food critic. Andy also owes Alastair £200,000 who wants the payment in full to cover his private losses, adding to the already mounting stress on Andy's shoulders.

During dinner service, conflict begins to brew in the kitchen and dining room. Front of house Beth annoys the kitchen staff with her incessant micro-management and pompous attitude. This culminates when Beth demands the already overworked chefs to cook off menu food to appease influencer guests, as well as unnecessarily addressing an issue with supposedly under-cooked food. Chef Carly finally blows up at Beth, telling her quite frankly that she is a terrible employer and that nobody likes her. Beth retreats to the bathroom in tears, admitting to her father on the phone that she does not think the job is right for her.

Things then take a turn for the worse when a guest suffers an allergic reaction from the food which the cold Chef had inadvertently caused. Taking advantage of the situation, Alastair informs Andy that Carly should take the fall in order for Alastair to become Andy's new partner to help recover his owed debt. After the guest is sent to the hospital, a meeting between the Chefs, Beth and Andy culminates in Chef Freeman lambasting Andy for his constant lateness, mistakes as well as his rampant alcoholism. A fight nearly breaks out between Andy and Freeman which Carly prevents, Andy privately confesses to her that it was in fact his fault the food was contaminated; he had instructed the cold Chef to use a bottle containing walnut oil for the garnish. Andy then reveals in anger that Alastair wanted him to lay the blame on Carly, who quits out of frustration in constantly covering for Andy's numerous previous mistakes. Andy goes to his office, where he drinks vodka and takes drugs. He calls his estranged wife, and tearfully begs her to tell his son he loves him, and that he will go to rehab. After ending the call Andy collapses, his fate left unknown as the panicked staff find him and the end credits roll.

Cast

Reception

Box office

In the United Kingdom, the film earned $107,525 from fifty-three theaters in its opening weekend. As of 20 March 2022, the film has grossed $705,045 worldwide.[1]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 66 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads, "Gripping from start to finish, Boiling Point uses its bold formal approach to support a thrilling tightrope of a tale."[8] At the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, Boiling Point was nominated for eleven awards and won four — including Best Supporting Actress for Vinette Robinson, Best Casting, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound.[9]

Glenn Kenny of The New York Times noted in regards to the film's one-shot nature that, "when [the camera] trails a restaurant worker taking out the trash, the viewer knows they're not being removed from the central action just to observe labor — there's a plot point to be ticked."[10]

References
  1. "Boiling Point". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  2. Boyce, Laurence (23 August 2021). "Karlovy Vary 2021: Philip Barantini talks filming 'Boiling Point' in one take". Screen Daily. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  3. Aftab, Kaleem (31 August 2021). "Philip Barantini • Director of Boiling Point". Cineuropa. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  4. Sturges, Fiona (31 December 2021). "Vinette Robinson: 'The collective effort was magic – I've never felt that on a set'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  5. Lodge, Guy (27 August 2021). "'Boiling Point' Review: Gordon Ramsay Has Nothing on the Kitchen Nightmares in This Heated One-Shot Drama". Variety. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  6. Concannon, Philip (11 October 2021). "Boiling Point captures a chef's night from hell filmed in one continuous shot". Sight and Sound. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  7. Ritman, Alex (3 February 2022). "BAFTA Awards Nominations: Dune Leads Pack in Diverse List Full of Surprises". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  8. "Boiling Point". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  9. "British Independent Film Awards 2021: the winners in full". British Film Institute. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  10. Kenny, Glenn (23 November 2021). "Boiling Point Review: The Worst Night in the Life of a Restaurant". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
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