That a toxic and unrelenting work environment isn’t good for the mind and body is hardly breaking news. But Boiling Point delivers its drama in such visceral fashion it makes you feel like the blight of unhealthy work cultures should be rushed to the emergency room.
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Given how good the movie is, it’s all the more impressive that it was apparently filmed in one take. Its protagonist is Andy Jones (Stephen Graham), head chef at a successful London establishment. In the opening scene, the camera trails behind him as walks to work, talking hurriedly on his phone, apologizing for this and that to the woman on the other end. Shortly after he arrives at the restaurant he sips on a cup of coffee and a sports bottle, trying to ready himself for the demanding hours ahead.
The themes of Boiling Point, directed and co-written by Philip Barantin, could have been explored in a number of settings, from a corporate law office to a busy metropolitan airport. That said, there’s something about a restaurant kitchen that feels almost uniquely fitting when it comes to visually—and figuratively—examining the corrosive effects of a high-pressure environment and headspaces about to explode.
His day sours early on, as a planned visit from a health inspector results in the restaurant’s five star health rating being knocked down to a three. Jones admits to the inspector that much of it is his fault; for the last two months things have been…hectic. The disorder in Jones’ personal life has seeped into his highly stressful job, and vice versa. Jones has a responsibility to help manage the restaurant, a task he’s barely capable of doing because he struggles to manage his taxed emotions and racing thoughts.
Other main characters include Beth (Alice Feetham), the outwardly confident host and manager who questions her fit for the role after a brief meltdown; and Carly (Vinette Robinson), the kitchen’s sous chef, who at many points tries to reassure her unraveling boss despite the demands of her own responsibilities.
As the evening progresses, various tables present their distinct challenges. There’s a patron who seems hungrier for confrontation than the pricey items he ordered. There’s a few boisterous young influencers, eager for content. At another table is an anxious man who’s going to propose to his girlfriend (she’s got food allergies, he informs the staff). Also present in the restaurant is a celebrity chef, though Jones wasn’t informed of his reservation ahead of time, a fact that rankles him throughout the evening.
In a film that’s rife with examples of how toxic certain work environments can be, there’s also a few poignant moments where empathy comes to the fore and judgements are sidelined. In a brief scene, the pastry chef happens to notice the marks on the inner forearm of her earnest young worker. She briefly freezes and tears up, but knows what’s best for the time being—a quick hug, encouragement, a promise that they’ll talk later.
Such scenes of warmth and understanding are few and far between, as the story’s greater focus is on the noxious effects that arise when one’s work life starts to lose any semblance of a healthy—or at least relatively benign—activity. Despite the intense drama we witness, few if any of it feels over the top. The inner drama of the characters are not aberrations.
Along with the timely questions the film so adeptly poses, there’s tremendous acting going on, and nearly every scene is a pleasure to watch. The movie is a solid 90 minutes but feels much shorter.
Coming up with a great title for an artistic work can be a vexing task, but one imagines that “Boiling Point” probably came quickly; it’s hard to think of a title more apt and briskly expressive than that. It’s rather grim, though, to consider just how fitting a title it is for a movie about a type of work environment that millions of people face… day in and day out. The film’s final twenty minutes are by far its best and most intense, as we see just how destructive those circumstances can be.
Spectatio 