Boiling Point

Boiling Point is a 2021 British drama film directed by Philip Barantini and written by Barantini and James Cummings. It stars 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. It was originally planned to record eight takes of the film, but it was only possible to film half of these before a COVID-19 lockdown led to the end of the shoot. The film premiered at the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 23 August 2021. It was released in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2022. 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). A "continuation" TV series, with Graham, Robinson and Walters reprising their roles, aired on BBC One from 1 October 2023. Plot Andy Jones is Head Chef of Jones & Sons, an upmarket 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 following an inspection, mostly due to insufficient administration and subpar sanitation at each work station. After the inspector leaves, Andy reprimands the kitchen staff for their lack of thoroughness, though backtracks when he learns that the turbot that he had prepared earlier was discarded by the inspector for not being labelled. Front of house manager Beth holds a short meeting to discuss the evening's service being overbooked. She also mentions that they have a marriage proposal on one table and a booking for celebrity chef Alastair Skye, for whom Andy previously worked, plus his guest for the evening, a known food critic.