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'La Cocina' (2024), the bold and unusual film by Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios, immediately reminded me of Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times'. Both films have one memorable scene that visually and symbolically represents all that is wrong with the dehumanization of work. As a whole, both films present scathing and fearless critiques of abhorrent aspects of the capitalist system, of course in different centuries and at different stages. 'La Cocina' combines this theme with that of illegal immigration in America today. Movies about immigration in America have a tradition, you could say they represent a separate genre. What is special about Ruizpalacios' film is that the point of view is that of immigrants. The director, most of the producers, the technical crew, the actors and the heroes of the film are mostly non-American. The director is also the author of the screenplay, adapted to the realities of America and today from a play (which also became a film script) by the English playwright Arnold Arnold Wesker.

The story takes place in a restaurant called 'The Grill' in the center of Manhattan, somewhere near Times Square. We never enter the front door, though. From the first scene, we are directed to the back entrance, and we will only see the restaurant itself, with its local or tourist customers, twice in the movie. The rest of the story takes place in the kitchen where dozens of dishes are prepared at a hellish pace for the hundreds of customers, or in the side streets or inner courtyards where the huge garbage bags permanently generated by the junk machine are stored. Estela, a (probably illegal) immigrant, who doesn't speak one word of English, is hired to work in the kitchen alongside Pedro, also an illegal immigrant, who has already been in the place for several years. Pedro has a relationship with the waitress Julia, who is pregnant. The woman wants to terminate the pregnancy, the man - who maybe loves her or maybe just wants to sort out his legal situation somehow - would like her to keep the baby. When $832 goes missing from one of the cashier machines, the entire staff, composed mostly of immigrants, comes under suspicion. The temperature is rising in the inferno that is already the restaurant kitchen.

'La Cocina' is not an easy film to watch. It is quite long and has moments when the story drags and the dialogues suffer from an excess of rhetoric and repetitions that add nothing. Fortunately, there are many other excellent scenes, inspired directorial decisions, and something cinematically interesting happening on screen all the time. Perhaps fearing theatricality, the director Alonso Ruizpalacios seems to constantly remind us that we watch a production of the art of film. The cinematography uses black and white, with rare spots of color at key moments and towards the end - a procedure if not invented, then made famous by Steven Spielberg in 'Schindler's List'). The scene at the core of the film, which lasts about 15-20 minutes, is filmed in one long shot and manages to convey the infernal dynamics of the activity in the restaurant's kitchen. The combination of the neo-realism of the attitude and the diversity of the cinematic means works very well. Unlike many other films whose stories take place in the kitchen, in 'La Cocina' the preparation of food is not (with one exception) appetizing, nor did the screenwriter and director really care. We are not in a temple of gastronomy but in a rather expensive junk food factory. The atmosphere of confusion that is transmitted to the viewers is what the heroes of the film feel as immigrants faced with the American realities, with hellish working conditions, with language barriers and mentalities. The diverse, multilingual and multicultural human landscape is excellently supported by a team of actors and extras, some amateurs, others professionals who enter the roles very well. Raúl Briones plays the role of Pedro exceptionally, although I could not fully decipher his character. Rooney Mara is cast in a very different role than the ones in other films I've seen her in, and once again demonstrates remarkable acting qualities. I am seeing, I think, for the first time Anna Díaz, who plays the role of Estela, and I hope to see her many more times in the future. Expressive and aggressive, 'La Cocina' is one of the good movies of the season, a film that takes us almost by force behind the scenes of the false shiny world that some of us enjoy and among the people who make it possible, with their dramas and sufferings.

If you saw "Boiling Point" (2021) then you'll get the gist of this drama set in an hectic New York restaurant kitchen. "The Grill" might look peaceful to the customers, but it's kitchen is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and attitudinal melting pot of cooks, waitresses and cleaners under the guidance of a no-nonsense chef (Lee Sellars) and a slimy manager "Luis" (Eduardo Olmos). It's this latter man who finds there's a problem one morning when his boss reports that $800-odd is missing from one of the cash registers and the owner "Rashid" (Oded Fehr) is seeing red. Using the investigation as a pretext, we quickly discover that this room is full of characters who generally rub along ok with each other, except for "Pedro" (Raul Briones) and "Max" (Spenser Granese), with the latter man frequently and violently fed up with the lack of English being spoken in this kitchen of Babel. Meantime, "Pedro" is trying to rekindle his relationship with waitress "Julia" (Rooney Mara) who is expecting, but not intending to have, his baby. With everyone working flat out, the search for the missing cash and the prevailing, accumulating, sense of toxicity amidst this atmosphere, the scene is set for quite a lively look at the trade, it's traditions and the vulnerability of so many workers with a dubious legal status who are treated little better than slaves. Sadly, though, for me the film just didn't take off. Aside from the fact that there is simply far too much dialogue, it is much too long and the characterisations are way too shallow and under-developed. The acting isn't especially engaging, and the writing doesn't do enough to create anyone here that is liable enough to feel the remotest sympathy for. There are too many repetitious angry confrontations without enough humour to entertain or sustain much interest and as they quite literally wade through the story, it just runs out of steam before bordering on the farcical at the end. It's disappointing, sorry.

La Cocina (2024) is a black-and-white, thriller-adjacent drama set in the kitchen of a New York restaurant on a particularly stressful day in which the lunch rush is amplified by an investigation into a missing $800 dollars suspected to have been stolen from the tills the night before. Although it bounces around between the various members of staff, initially beginning with a fresh-faced immigrant fumbling her way around the city in an effort to locate a man she knew as a child and ask him for a job, it soon more-or-less lands on Pedro, a three-year kitchen veteran with clear anger management issues and a desire to work long enough to get his Green Card, and Julia, a no-nonsense waitress with anxiety issues and an urgent desire to get an abortion. The feature essentially depicts a difficult day in the life of its characters as they navigate their work and their personal lives while trying not to slip up and sacrifice their chance at the coveted American dream. Thematically, it's all about the immigrant experience and the way in which America views non-citizens as a means to an end, dangling the carrot of citizenship and acceptance as a way to encourage work within the capitalist nightmare that robs almost everyone of their individuality. While this is an interesting angle to explore and the affair occasionally does so with poignance, the overall experience struggles to marry its subtext with its setting and often feels as though it's trying to say so much that it ends up not really saying anything in particular. Having said that, it's still a well-written and keenly observed slice of fiction that feels naturalistic in its every aspect. It does sort of lose its way as it heads into its increasingly erratic and stereotypically explosive finale, but its earlier moments of comparative subtlety work really well and there are some sequences that are almost transcendent in their high-intensity urgency. A ten-minute apparent oner (which is actually at least two shots stitched together) is incredibly impressive, an immersive and suspenseful real-time presentation of an exceptionally stressful lunch rush that genuinely puts you on the edge of your seat. Elsewhere, the filmmaking is confident and considered, with often beautiful framing and an ability to make the mundane both strikingly cinematic and remarkably real all at the same time. The performances are grounded and nuanced, making each and every character feel as true-to-life as possible and enhancing the impact of even the story's most tangential moments so that everything feels as though it matters even if some of it technically doesn't. The cinematography is often striking, the writing is often poetic, and the production design is consistently delightfully unobtrusive. The piece has a fly-on-the-wall feel, a naturalistic aesthetic that enhances the impact of its purposefully messy and - I suppose - unfulfilling plotting. It looks really unique, a whole world unto itself, and its artistic elements are as necessary as its narrative ones. It's a really cohesive picture and it often works brilliantly. What holds me back from liking it more is the fact that it gets a bit too loose in the second half of its second act, before it becomes a bit too conventionally 'big' in its final third and then stops just shy of doing something truly out there that it might as well have done fully considering how heavily it alludes to it. It also doesn't compound its themes quite as well as it could have. Still, this is a really solid effort that doesn't quite feel like anything else I've seen so far this year. It's really good.

The movie is trying to immerse the audience into the microcosm of a major restaurant kitchen in New York. Great acting by many of the cast. However, 3 hours are too long for getting the story across. Some elements don't make sense at all and some characters are not getting the focus they deserve. Overall the topic of diverse cultures by migrants and their personal dreams of life are a crucial topic. I would have wished to allow this in a form that would focus on few and with a deeper vertical story line. Raul and Rooney Mara are amazing in their performances. We watched it at the world premiere and the audience was very receptive to the premiere.

A black and white comical tragedy or tragical comedy about various people who are attracted, like moths to a flame, to working in the kitchen of a famous restaurant on Times Square in New York. The working conditions are disgusting, the bosses are manipulative and threatening, most of the kitchen staff are illegal immigrants from places where life standard is considered to be worse than in US. But what can be worse? They are working under contant pressure, almost always tense and stressed, always yelled at, humiliated and even accused of crimes they didn't commit. The central characters, a local waitress and a Mexican chef, are more disturbed than the others; and they start sort of a love story and hell knows where it will end.

There's also humor, a lot of noise, sporadic fits of violence, a dream sharing session, some flirting with consequences, multiple languages (and multiple misunderstandings), food and drinks galore, a very tight schedule, obscene jokes and a ray of hope in everyone.

The international cast is great, the music is superb, the acting and photography are wonderful. The main theme, in my opinion, is how overrated the Times Square place is - the Cocina people go through so much suffering and maltreatment there, and they only got there in hope for a better life, the American dream. But is this the better life? True, it's not the lowest bottom level and most of them seem to get by but they, as everyone else, definitely deserve more than this overrated Times Square place has to offer.

Transposed from 1950s London to a contemporary midtown NYC diner, Arnold Wesker's play 'The Kitchen' shows its subject matter still possesses vitality and relevance despite the passing of almost seventy years. Major plot points have been altered but the general theme remains the same as overworked restaurant staff go through their daily grind to put food on the table for demanding customers.

At the outset of 'La Cocina' $800 has gone missing from the till, resulting in an internal investigation which causes additional stress for employees. Meanwhile one of the cooks Pedro attempts to persuade his waitress lover not to abort their child. Many of the workers are immigrants, and the atmosphere is raucous, profane, coarse and combative. The B&W cinematography, flamboyant direction and astonishing acting capture these elements in a fantastic display of film-making pyrotechnics that leave one open-mouthed in admiration.

The screenplay's self-indulgent 140 minute length turns out to be the project's weak link. Several scenes go on too long - an interlude between the lunch and dinner service drags somewhat - and although Raul Briones' delivers a breathtaking performance, Pedro's histrionics become tiresome some time before the end. It's a pity, because there's so much to admire here.

Within the bustling confines of a Times Square eatery, a tumultuous ensemble of primarily immigrant cooks, waitstaff, and management struggle to navigate the frenzied lunch rush. This film is punctuated by intense, stress-inducing long-takes reminiscent of 'The Bear' and Barantini's 'Boiling Point', yet its narrative arc diverges significantly. Rather than focusing on the grind of preparing great food in a fancy restaurant, the story delves into the arduous journey of immigrants striving to survive. The ensemble cast delivers compelling performances, with Raúl Briones, stunning, and Rooney Mara powerful portrayals. The cinematography is breathtaking, capturing the essence of the narrative in an orchestrated chaos. A movie full of heart and heartbreak, it left a mark in the audience at the Berlinale film festival today.

Pretentious BS. There, I said it. That ending solidified it. Ending on that silly green ray thing. And why are you giving me black and white when you're not showing me anything beautiful here? What is the point. Pretentious BS is what it is. Strong colours would have made this even more powerful.

The only thing this movie is doing to me is make me want to avoid restaurants. Cause I do not want to eat food from those people. Such a collection of a-holes. Pedro belongs in an institution. Any kind of institution will do, as long as he is not out into the world, among people. He is toxic, I don't care about his sob immigrant story. They all got sob stories. Doesn't justify anything. I for one took to the Moroccan lady. Or Nonzo. Raton? Yuck. The chef? A tyrant. The Latino lovers OMG. The sexism, the racism, the reverse racism. The funny thing is this movie is not making me empathize with their struggle and there clearly is a lot of struggle but they're so scummy that they do not deserve my pity. Julia, girl, what is wrong with you? Where your head at? I can say one thing though, I did not recognize Rooney Mara. If I hadn't seen her name in the opening credits I wouldn't have identified her. Well into the movie.

Sure took a lot of me to finish it. I mean I finished it in one go but I struggled to do so. This could have been a much better movie, I don't understand what it's trying to tell me or do to me cause it only put me in a bad mood.

Also, are there no food safety standards in the US or what? How can that happen? Also, I don't think I've ever seen more than 5 servers in any average sized restaurant. How big is this place that it needs a dozen servers or even more? Doesn't look that big to me. I know the turnaround is big there, but still... Just watch Boiling Point.

Half a star more only for the actors' effort.

This is the first film by this incredible director that I've watched, and in the last 20 minutes of the movie, I found myself unable to stop the tears from flowing. As I sat in the cinema seat, I felt every emotion he was conveying. It was truly a masterpiece.

Two days later, I find myself still thinking about the movie. I might even dare to say that it has touched something deep within me, something that had been quietly waiting for me to discover. I look forward to exploring more of Alonso's films soon, and I truly believe I will enjoy them as well.

I Can only say that I highly recommend this movie to anyone seeking a genuine glimpse into the real world.

Unpopular opinion: not every movie needs a 2.5-hour runtime. "La Cocina" (who I've been wanting to watch since its "Sundance" premiere) is a perfect example of this, feeling unnecessarily drawn out and lacking depth. While the film has its strengths-like its exploration of multiculturalism in a Manhattan restaurant-too much of it feels disjointed and unfocused. The narrative tries to juggle too many elements, resulting in a plot that feels messy and uneven. At times, it almost feels like it would have worked better as a play rather than a movie.

That said, there are parts of "La Cocina" that truly stand out. The multicultural dynamics in the restaurant setting are fascinating, and I wish they had been explored more deeply. The cinematography is stunning, especially with its black-and-white visuals that add a striking, artistic flair. But despite these highlights, the film's ambition ultimately outweighs its execution, leaving it feeling more like a missed opportunity than a compelling watch.

Every time I go to see a movie by Alonso Ruiz Palacios, that day I will be living one of the best moments of my life, it reminds me that we are people, that we all have a story, that we all love someone and that we are all made of the same flesh

For these moments are why I take care of myself and look both ways before crossing the street, to continue being and to be able to meet these days, to see these movies

For these days my eyes open every day, for these days my heart vibrates uncontrollably, for these days I save my tears and for these days I let them out

It is for these days, for which I swallow saliva and fall in love with life

For these nights the dogs bark, for this cold the jackets exist and for these movies these beautiful and isolated black boxes were created, to pause our day.

The intention and ability to connect the life, memory and idiosyncrasy of a room full of strangers, united in laughter, in the collective breath that mixes through all the open mouths, through that orchestrated silence that we didn't know we could make possible

I would like to be illuminated by a green ray, and see the reflection in the faces of those who make me shine

Give them back the warmth they give me, give them back the light that illuminates my day

I walk these days, And I will walk for them

I don't want to disappear, but if I do It's because I'm lost these days

In these movies.

Gracias Alonso por mocharte un poco de tu mundo y de tu amor.

For the life of me I can't understand why Emilia Perez is nominated over this movie. This is a true representation of a movie that deserves awards. Such a shame that Emilia Perez is getting pushed simply for having a trans main character. The direction was superb, the acting is top tier and it kept me entertained for the full run time. Hopefully it gets some recognition are some point because movies like this deserve the spotlight more than any propaganda made by a French clown. Actor Raul Briones is a powerhouse in this movie, he delivers an amazing performance worthy of an Oscar, his background was comedy and he manages to act like a top drama actor.

Loved the conceit and possibility... but imagine West Side Story performed by high school kids in your family set in a kitchen, intent upon making a profound point that nobody's ever made about the story-without all the pesky music. You only go if you have to. The direction, script, and acting all fall short though much of the photography is beautiful and compelling. Audiences will definitely feel the hustle, bustle, oppression, and stress of a busy NYC restaurant kitchen. But after an hour and fifteen minutes of La Cocina, the most depressing part of it all is knowing there's sixty minutes more.

I loved the pace and the acting, it keeps you engaged at all times and makes you feel part of the kitchen. It touches on a very important topic and makes you refflect. I hated when it was over. The plot is really engaging and all details are really well taken care of. It is a pitty that there are no more movies like this. The B&W picture with subtle colors brings you to a really cool atmosphere . One part I really loved about this movie is when they are sharing their dreams during break, it really makes you think on all what this people has to go through in the seek of a better life. Respect to the producers, writers and directors.

After I watched "Güeros" (2014), I confess I put an X on Alonso Ruizpalacios and I did not see his subsequent films, much less his television work, which he began 20 years ago. But now that I have seen «La cocina» I think I will reconsider my veto and watch as many of his previous works as I can.

I do not know if the strong effect «La cocina» had on me was because it is based on the play «The Kitchen» by Arnold Wesker, an illustrious British playwright whose name is among the outstanding figures of the "Angry Young Men" movement in theater, which included John Osborne and Harold Pinter. As Wesker once said, they were not exactly angry, and certainly not within the context of the "swingin' London" of the 1960s, but rather a group of artists with a greater awareness of the economic, social, and political reality of the United Kingdom than most of their predecessors and who, from their perspectives, renewed literature, film, theater, music, and the visual arts.

However, I have no doubt that Ruizpalacios' contribution has been big and significant, because although the play «The Kitchen» arose from Wesker's experiences in a London kitchen (already filmed in 1961 by James Hill), the resulting film prioritizes the dilemma of Mexican Pedro in a restaurant in contemporary New York, where "representatives of the United Nations" work, most of them with dubious legal status, subject to the whims of an owner named Rashid, a chief of staff who is the son of Mexican migrants, and a chef who seems straight out of a German Expressionist horror story.

The film, moreover, acquires an unexpected resonance today, given the changes in the United States Presidency and the measures against immigrants. The characters -intelligently painted with brushstrokes, without delving into psychologisms- have their own dramas. What the irrepressible and angry Pedro (he is indeed angry, thanks to Raúl Briones' intense and passionate performance) experiences is a passionate melodrama with the American waitress Julia (Rooney Mara), whom he has impregnated. While she is considering an abortion that afternoon, one of the cash registers turns up missing $800, turning everyone into suspects amid their lives of limitation and deprivation (which we sense without the film going into any details). There is room for poetry, humor, science fiction, eroticism, and plot excesses (such as the kitchen flooding, where waiters, cooks, and the screaming chef continue to work nonstop), as the dramatic tension increases, increases, and explodes.

«La cocina» is a must-see film, even though it clocks in at 139 minutes, but it always has something interesting to tell, in a setting as prosaic as a kitchen, with a unique and strange touch that revisits and reframes magical realism. It is not without its difficult and imperfect moments, but I believe they are also characteristic of great artistic endeavors.

La Cocina lasts 2:20 hours with a plot that could have been told in 60 minutes and lacks depth. Shot entirely in black and white, the play-like film takes place in a busy tourist restaurant in New York's Times Square, where mainly illegal immigrants from all over the world make their living.

Over a period of a day, various scenes thrown together with a mix of film elements show the everyday life of those who have little hope: getting ready, stressful preparations in the kitchen, arguments between the workforce, daydreaming during the break, a theft and a relationship between the cook Pedro and the waitress Julia, who wants to abort their baby.

The film has some funny points and some special experimental shots. But unfortunately the stories of the many characters that are presented largely remain untold. Instead, Ruizpalacios repeatedly chooses very flat dialogues and long close-ups that drag on like chewing gum. In addition, the depiction of the relationship between Pedro and Julia is so clichéd that it resembles a Bollywood film.

Overall, the film was boring to watch. If it hadn't been the world premiere at Berlinale film festival, I would have left after 30 minutes.

Director Alonso Ruizpalacios's film "La Cocina" impresses with its sophisticated staging, but this does not compensate for the weaknesses of the narrative. The interesting camera work with blurred images at the beginning of the film gives the work a dynamic opening, which then provides relief when the visual blurring dissipates again.

Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones Carmona are convincing in their roles, but even their impressive performances cannot alleviate the challenges that the main character demands of the viewer.

Unfortunately, the film fails to create an emotional bond with the main character. The protagonist seems overexcited, and his uncontrolled rage and the resulting violence against others are not only disturbing but also increasingly annoying. He symbolises a generation of young, disoriented men who have difficultiy finding their way and building stable relationships.

La Cocina's greatest weakness is its lack of constructive solutions. The film presents the problem, but does not offer a clear perspective or possible ways to overcome it. This leaves the viewer with a feeling of dissatisfaction and ultimately makes the film unsatisfying.

No wonder the film is in black and white. This is one of those artistic films that borrows a lot from film history and tries to work out the current reality with a plot set in the past. It's well-intentioned, but I've seen it so often that it gets boring. I'd rather watch the old originals or a contemporary film that really has its finger on the pulse of the times. Having said that, the acting is excellent and the film is well shot. But I find the whole thing so one-sidedly moralizing that in the end it remains too superficial even in the depths of this flooded kitchen. Quite funny to watch at times, but in the end it's too stereotypical for me and too shallow in its socio-political message.

This Mexican production filmed in the U. S. is proof that auteur cinema has been losing strength as higher-budget productions have consolidated on the big screen, and there are few auteur films that still offer something rich in the artistic realm. Although there are productions that have demonstrated that it is possible to make a good movie without a good script or character development, that can sometimes fail when the visual is prioritized over substance. La Cocina is an example of how the use of a good script and character development is still necessary in some productions, especially when it comes to auteur cinema. The only favorable aspect of this movie is the monochromatic photography and some shots. It has scenes with an atmosphere that gives them a poetic touch, and they are the most redeemable parts. La Cocina has good photographic quality and visually looks quite good. But that's just the surface. What conflicts with what should have been a good auteur film is its inconsistent script. The movie initially presents Estela as if she were going to be the protagonist, but her introduction was just an excuse to introduce the real protagonist, Pedro. From what can be understood, it is about a cook who, after a casual relationship with the waitress Julia, hopes that she will give him a child so that Pedro can become a legal American in the U. S. This is compounded by the mystery of the missing 800 dollars and trying to find out who the thief is. Something that leads Pedro to be the main suspect, and these two concepts are something the movie should have emphasized more. It's clear that it tries to tell a dramatic story that also addresses the situation of immigrants in the U. S. who are trying to obtain their American nationality. The movie offers a glimpse into the lives of immigrants working in the kitchen with the hope of obtaining their new nationality, but what it aims to convey is overshadowed by dialogues and conversations that add nothing. There are too many situations that feel like pure filler that lead nowhere. The movie tries to make you get to know the characters, but they are not relatable. No matter how cheerful they behave, they feel like characters who are only there because the script demands it. The immature conversations and ridiculous dialogues make the movie frantic and noisy most of the time. There is no chemistry between Pedro and Julia, and the relationship they have is not believable. Even the refrigerator scene, which has delicious lighting, feels somewhat forced. Pedro acts like an immature child most of the time and is not a character with whom one can empathize. The characters lack a background or development to connect with them and understand their desires. After the frantic scene of the cooks working as if they were in a battlefield, the movie begins to stabilize. Pedro's conversation with his colleagues during their break is the moment when the movie finally stops being so frantic and becomes more manageable to follow. The last moments of the movie are the most coherent, although the absurdity remains present until the end, and the film concludes with something symbolic that harkens back to one of the cooks' stories. The cinematography, the shots, and the last 50 minutes of the movie barely compensate for what this film tried to convey. In the end, it's a pretentious product that fails to deliver what it should have been. The actors have put a lot of effort into their roles, and you can see the effort they put in. So it's not their fault that they played characters impossible to empathize with. That's already the fault of a script that didn't know how to handle its characters and was too incompetent to tell a stable story. Even the much-criticized Emilia Pérez has a better story compared to La Cocina. The level of ineptitude that this movie has can only be compared to the mediocre productions of Argentine cinema. It's no wonder why Latin American cinema can't be as competent as Hollywood cinema, and putting dialogues in English didn't help much either. Finding a Latin American production that measures up to a Hollywood work ends up being the equivalent of searching for a diamond in a pile of coal. La Cocina is undoubtedly a pretentious film that looks very good visually, but lacks substance. It's like artificial food that looks delicious on the outside, but has no flavor whatsoever. The only reason to watch it is for its stunning cinematography, and it has nothing else to offer beyond that. My final rating for this movie is a 5/10.

This film feels overly obvious in its message, pushing a political agenda that aims to guilt-trip Americans. It heavily focuses on the struggles of illegal immigrants but does so in a way that paints them as helpless or unwilling to work, even though conditions in their home countries are often worse. The choice of black-and-white cinematography seems like a forced metaphor for racial equality, which comes off as naive and unrealistic. In today's climate, this kind of storytelling feels manipulative rather than meaningful. The ending is particularly absurd, almost suggesting that illegal immigrants have a moral right to claim a foreign land as their own. It seems designed to make viewers feel sympathy to an extreme, blurring the line between compassion and blind acceptance. Ultimately, the film feels like a forced DEI message, similar in tone to Disney's reimagined "Snow White."