Star actress Rooney Mara has adopted a selective approach to her film projects, prioritizing the directors she collaborates with over other factors. Emphasizing this philosophy, Mara expressed her reliance on the director’s vision during the premiere of Alonso Ruizpalacios’ English-language debut La Cocina at the Berlin Film Festival.

In the film, Mara portrays a waitress entangled in a relationship with a backroom cook, played by Raúl Briones, set against the backdrop of a high-stress Manhattan restaurant. Mara’s journey toward her director-led discernment process began with her early disillusionment as an actor. She finally overcame this sentiment while working with David Fincher on The Social Network, where she learned to trust the director’s guidance.

A decade later, Ruizpalacios’ passionate pitch and his emotional connection to the project further convinced Mara to join the cast. Despite being an adaptation of Arnold Wesker’s stage classic, The Kitchen, set in New York City, the filmmakers constructed a full-scale kitchen on a soundstage in Mexico, affording them more rehearsal time and control over the environment.

Contrary to expectations, Ruizpalacios didn’t aim for food-centric aesthetics, but rather focused on depicting the intense camaraderie and competitive dynamics within a kitchen setting. Addressing inquiries about the prevalence of toxic masculinity in his film, Ruizpalacios defended his portrayal, citing personal experiences and the rigid hierarchies characteristic of kitchen culture.

In his view, kitchens operate as strict caste systems, fostering an environment where empathy and understanding among male counterparts are scarce commodities. Thus, the director deemed it essential to authentically capture the inherent tensions and power dynamics, rejecting the notion of idealized relationships in such environments.