Parents' Guide to Boiling Point

Shot in one continuous take, this stress-inducing British drama is a superb piece of filmmaking. Anyone that has ever worked in a restaurant will recognize so much that is portrayed in Boiling Point from the over-whelming heat of the kitchen to the array of diners frequenting this London restaurant. As the camera moves in and around the restaurant, the viewer is given little crumbs of insight into the various characters, from the restaurant manager to the waiting staff to the customers. The camera is constantly on the move and it's to director and co-writer Philip Barantini's credit that we gain enough of an understanding about each of these characters despite some being given only a few minutes screen time. It's a testament to Barantini, who doesn't waste a second of the 92-minute runtime.

While the supporting cast are all superb, Boiling Point is led by a first-rate performance from Graham as the restaurant's head chef, Andy. From the opening scene, when Andy is apologizing to his estranged wife on his phone outside the restaurant, the pressure bubbling away below the surface is palpable. Every now and then, this pressure spills over, such as when Andy shouts at a new member of his kitchen staff for washing her hands in the wrong sink. But these outbursts feel nothing more than warning shots for what is to come as more and more lands on Andy's plate. A film that is experienced rather than enjoyed, you'll be wanting a long lie down by the closing credits.