"La Cocina" doesn’t feel obligated to deliver a moral lesson, and it's clear Alonso Ruizpalacios recognized this. He has produced a noteworthy film about everyday life that raises the bar for its kind by condensing time—managing to show everything that takes place in a restaurant kitchen within 139 minutes. That accomplishment is reason enough to see it. What’s truly special about the movie is how well it portrays society as a whole. The kitchen serves as an ideal representation of its environment, showcasing all of its flaws: prejudice, disparities based on social standing, deceit, and constant mistreatment of employees. We witness humanity under intense strain, where the weaknesses in our societal structure are impossible to overlook. The film is visually appealing. The black-and-white photography, careful composition, and rhythm are as strong as the writing. Ruizpalacios creates a documentary-like experience that never feels still, capturing the hurried nature of kitchen work while keeping everything carefully arranged. A particularly poignant scene occurs through Nonzo's story about the green light: a brief tale of someone stripped of their humanity by those in authority until a beam of green light appears from above, serving as a reminder of fundamental human worth before they vanish. In the final shot, Ruizpalacios uses a technique reminiscent of "Schindler’s List," introducing color to highlight this metaphor. Following 139 minutes of black-and-white disorder, that one instance of color reinforces what the film subtly conveys throughout: these unseen workers are people, and consequently, they possess great worth.

Source on TMDB