Have you ever had a day where you just can’t catch a break? What about a shift where, no matter what you do, everything seems to go against you? Yes? Great; now take those things, put them in the busy evening kitchen environment, and you will get this movie. A tiny film that seems not many people saw, let alone talk about, and that is such a shame as it deserves to be watched. Why? Because this is one of those films that won’t allow you to “just watch it”; it pulls you in, so you experience it; it almost forces you to be there. And what a ride, a mostly anxiety-inducing one. The fact it’s shot in one take only underlines everything you feel whilst watching it and then multiplies it by ten. Yes, you read that correctly, this 92-minute film was filmed in one take.
Before proceeding, let’s be clear – Boiling Point isn’t the first film to do so. I know most mainstream audiences would think of the movie 1917 (2019) that tries to convince you it’s all in one take, but it is not; there are some cuts, albeit well hidden. I think the most famous example of a true “one take” film would be a movie I still haven’t seen called Russian Ark (2002) which is in the same vein as Boiling Point. No trickery, no hidden cuts, just one elaborate, continuous take and actors alongside the crew are playing/filming around it. It’s an incredibly difficult task, and to do it, requires planning to the tiniest detail, and when executed well, it’s mindblowing. And this film is that, to an extent.
As hinted above, we are following a troubled chef (and that’s putting it mildly) played by Stephen Graham. As a side note, I don’t think there is any better, most underrated British actor living today who has proven himself time and time again and is still not more widely recognised/honoured/talked about. Everything I saw him in, he kills it, and even though he has a decent career, he should be someone who is “Tom Hardy famous”. Back to the film, the film starts and focuses on him a lot, but I would struggle to call him the titular star. And this is where the one-take approach uplifted this movie to new heights, as we can’t cut/intercut scenes. So we spend some time with Stephen, but quite a lot of time with others, giving them their moment to shine.
Who impressed me, and I would love to see more of her, was Vinette Robinson as Stephen’s sous-chef, who wants to know whether a pay rise will happen or not as she has another job lined up. Her performance was on par with Stephen’s, and at times, I would say even better. Her takedown of the manageress (played by Alice Feetham) will stay with you. And after rewatching that scene on YouTube, I realised another thing, the one-shot aspect helps this film’s characters to sound like people. What I mean by that is it’s not uncommon for Stephen or Vinette in their “big scenes” to fumble a word or two, so they restart their sentence, but that only adds realism on top of the already realistic characters. People in real life often fumble their words or have to start their sentences again several times, and given they can’t restart any scene (because that would mean restarting the movie from the beginning), they just have to deal with any errors on the spot and move along as soon as possible. The more I think about it, the more I realise this one take decision wasn’t just to “be different”; it actually served the story and purpose of this film.
I don’t want to say too much about this story because there are some twists and turns I didn’t expect. That is why what pains me the most is I can’t give it the highest rating, albeit it was a tight one. The only reason for that was I felt the ending felt too rushed. When you watch Boiling Point, you have a hunch about this film’s end. And sure enough, I wasn’t wrong. I didn’t mind the “predictability” because that’s not the point, whether the story is predictable. What I did not care about about the ending was how this entire film, the movie felt focused, despite many things happening at once. And in the last ten minutes or so, it felt like we had to rush towards the place we knew we would end up in only to “tie it up”. Maybe this feeling will fade if I ever rewatch this film, but let me repeat myself; this is the tiniest gripe. Boiling Point is an underseen gem of a movie that has everything going for it, and it should be watched by many, many more movie fans. Everything from the style to the performances and the sharp dialogue works in perfect harmony because it has to, due to the one continuous shot. And it’s a stunning, anxiety-inducing ride I think I might go on again at some point.
Overall, Boiling Point is a near-perfect movie that you will appreciate whether you worked in the hospitality industry or not. Dare I say that if ever you worked in any restaurant, this might trigger some painful memories, so be advised. Every actor here does a spectacular job with Stephen and Vinette leading “the pack”, and even if we were to remove everything else (the script, the one-take approach), those two performances alone are worth seeing this film for. Luckily, we don’t have to remove anything, and I strongly recommend watching Boiling Point if you haven’t yet. You are in for a treat.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke