'Boiling Point' Wows Netflix Audience

Single-take restaurant drama Boiling Point is available to stream on Netflix in the UK and Ireland, and audiences are lauding Stephen Graham and cast’s performances

Boiling Point: kitchen's stress from the inside

Directed by Philip Barantini, the film is a tense depiction of the pressures of running a fine-dining kitchen and restaurant. Stephen Graham plays a chef who is feeling the stress from all angles as the pressure builds. Boiling Point was shot as a single take to convey the relentless pressure of working in hospitality.

The film follows drug addicted chef Andy, played by Graham, who turns up late for work at a top London restaurant to to join exhasperated sous-chef Carly (Vinette Robinson) and his strained team for a nightmare evening service dealing with everything from an environmental health inspector and fraying staff relations to difficult customers and crises, which soon ends in tragedy.

First reactions from the audience

“Filmed in a single shot, it was like watching an immersive play and the characters and story were gripping. Highly recommended!”, wrote one impressed viewer.

“Wow what a film loved it!!!” posted another. “Stephen Graham what an actor!!"

“Saw #BoilingPoint last night – absolutely terrific,” a viewer tweeted. “@StephenGraham73 blows us away every time, and the rest of the cast were brilliant too."

"Amazing to see Boiling Point on Netflix! I did an extra mastering pass on headphones for the streaming version just so it could be as immersive as the theatrical," wrote another.

After a delayed theatre release last year, the film became available to view on Netflix in Ireland and the UK this week and viewers have been reacting to the film and posting their impressions to social media, with the consensus that Graham delivers an astounding performance of pure visceral energy.

As an actor, you might recognise him from Band of Brothers, Ned Kelly and Chernobyl, while director Baratini supported himself through an uncertain career path by working as a chef in fine dining restaurants. Starting at the bottom and working his way up to head chef, Baratini can draw on a wealth of real-life hospitality experience, giving the film authenticity.

Stephen Graham, known for his work with director Shane Meadows is a character actor of prodigious talent, and his role as head chef starting to crack during a night’s service around Christmas allows the audience to appreciate the range of his abilities on camera.