By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Fernando Grostein Andrade
Starring: Arian Moayed | Dagmara Dominczyk | Noah Schnapp | Seu Jorge
Country: brazil, united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 85
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5805768/reference
Michael says: “Most people have families that have an element of drama to them, especially if they come from different cultures/backgrounds/traditions. In these cases, it’s often the children of these mixed marriages that help to bring different perspectives together, but usually not without a lot of shouting, bickering and… well, drama. Abe comes from a particularly complex family. His mother’s family is Jewish, and his Dad’s is Palestinian Muslim. While both of his parents are atheist’s, most family gatherings end up devoting into arguments about religion, and often about how Abe will be brought up.
“It gets to Abe, how could it not, and being an awkward kid without any “real” friends (he’s got lots of online friends on Instagram), he needs an outlet, and his outlet is food. In an effort to learn more about his favorite topic, he ingratiates himself into the kitchen of Chico, a Portuguese Chef from Brazil, who is famous in Brooklyn for his fusion pop-ups. After a bit of an initiation period, Chico begins teaching Abe the subtle ways you can bring different flavors and textures together to create something new and evocative. the problem is, he’s doing all this without his parents’ knowledge. They think he’s safe in a wealthy school-run cooking camp, rather than the warehouse kitchens Chico and his crew use to prep for their street food stands.
“There’s lots more drama to come, and some sincerely emotional revelations, that are delivered in a way that’s slightly more Hollywood, than art-house, but it all unfolds with intelligence and caring, and I was surprised at how moving this blended family’s story was, and how much I could relate, even now, nearly 50 years beyond where Abe is in this story. Plus, the food scenes are delightful to watch, and all the characters seem real and relatable. I quite enjoyed it. 4 cats“