2022, the year that kitchens became the favorite place for movies and series

The table and what goes on between the fireplaces has always been a thrilling scene in cinema. But it was the most toxic version of this gastronomic world that seems to have managed to cook up the most interesting stories during 2022: of boiling pointwhich almost opened the year, even The bear, one of the most popular series of the year. They weren’t the only ones, because the pull of the kitchen, the food, and what’s going on around it seems to be in full swing. Of course, now chefs are not always those heroes that children want to imitate after seeing them parade chef. Sometimes even the opposite.

That is, if there is such a thing as gourmet cinema, the stories that have had the most success this year are clearly a far cry from what most people would understand as part of the genre. “boil (boiling pointpaints a reality in the kitchen with more losers than stars”, We wrote just a year ago While trying to recover from the stress of this feature film during Christmas night service in a London restaurant.

Many have pointed out that “The Bear” (Disney +) is one of the series of the year

Released in the last days of 2021, the good reception among critics and the extent to which it caused a stir in the gastronomic world should not make us forget that its circulation among the general public was very limited. It arrived in Spain at the hands of Filmin, and if it was on the billboard, there is little trace of it passing through the theaters.

was more popular The bear, identified by many as one of the series of the year. To get an idea of ​​its scope, Dani Garcia even launched a themed sandwich for a few weeks through home delivery inspired by the series and in collaboration with Disney +, the platform that streams it.

Taking on the rock star chef we’ve seen on so many covers for years, Carmy, the protagonist of the story, fits more into that loser, victim persona and part of toxic equipment animating many kitchens. Here the recipes are almost the least of them, because the common denominator of the story is the rush, the stress, the bills that don’t come out or those permanent dark circles under the eyes of those who survive another day at a restaurant where they don’t want to get off their resume.

Comedy and horror

This extreme tension can be a pivot food menu, one of the most popular films of the year among those who have an interest in all things cooking and food. It doesn’t convince many, but others praise that the pairing — if we allow a wink — of humor and psychological thriller makes the story at least edible.

While some see Ralph Fiene’s character as a reflection of that psychopathic chef who was finally talked about recently, others point to the tyranny of the tasting menu. But the most interesting thing is that even in this story there is a certain tasteful criticism that underlies a dimension of the class struggle that, let’s face it, hasn’t been much in style in journalism in the last decade.

If menus for the rich can be one thrilling read in this movie that doesn’t intend to go much further, then at the other end are the grainy and inconsequential menus. father life. But here, too, we can see a story related to this discourse that is closer to claiming happiness than reinventing the sphere.

Mikel, a successful chef in Bilbao, is desperate for his third Michelin star. But the appearance of his father, a famous chef who fell into disgrace and disappeared for years, helps him understand that a good steak or plate by the spoon is better than smearing it with food. worn out theme. Just like Karra Elejalde’s turn as a postcard Basque. He’s tired, but he’s clearly working, he has momentum and manages to keep the movie upright.

From “Alcarràs” to José Andrés

When reviewing the titles this year that came out in the kitchen or were made right there, we can’t help but wonder if they were a hit. Alkarras It doesn’t deserve to be on this list either.

Defending the rural world, abandoning the countryside, those peaches that are already less profitable than solar panels, and the stories behind those who grow them are, in fact, issues more relevant to the future of cooking than the penultimate opening in Madrid or Dubai.

Feed the worldthe documentary about World Central Kitchen and Jose Andres, could not be missing in this year’s review. Directed by Ron Howard and available on Disney+, we admit that this cover with Andrés looking out of a helicopter at a disaster as Christ the Savior scares us a little.

But accepting the burden of the only hero so popular in the United States and the epic narrative, it is very interesting to remember how the most famous and influential Spanish chef in the world is not so because of his recipes, his restaurants or his stars, but because of his social work and solidarity that has been developing for years.

The kitchen as a life-changing tool or setting for stories. Apparently, yes, in a predominantly masculine key. It is difficult to know whether this is because toxicity has a gender, or because this is also a problem pending in gastronomic cinema.