Saturday Night At The Movies
Von liebe und schnitzel
By Dennis Hartley
Bitte, baby: Pheline Roggan and Adam Bousdoukos in Soul Kitchen
You know, it’s great when you can find a nice palette-cleanser to tide you over during these dog days at the multiplexes, as the last crumbs of empty-calorie summer fare are cleared from the table to make room for the heartier fall menu. Soul Kitchen is one such cinematic soufflé; it bakes up light and fluffy, stopping just this side of demanding any deeper contemplation, yet it is still substantial enough to leave you feeling pleasantly full.
Comprised of equal parts romantic comedy, foodie film, and (mildly) raunchy screwball farce, German writer-director Fatih Akin’s breezy story concerns a somewhat grubby but amiable young restaurateur named Zinos (co-scripter Adam Bousdoukos) who has converted an abandoned warehouse in Hamburg’s Wilhelmsburg quarter into a funky eatery called “The Soul Kitchen”. Operating on the cheap, Zinos is not only the manager, but the cook as well, serving up your basic beer ‘n’ pizza, schnitzel and French fries menu to a not-so-picky neighborhood clientele. If Zinos seems a bit harried and distracted, it’s due to the impending departure of his journalist girlfriend Nadine (Pheline Roggan) to China. Zinos’ separation anxiety comes to a head when he joins Nadine and her family for dinner at another restaurant, where the two have an embarrassing public spat. Just a few moments later, that restaurant’s head chef, Shayn (Birol Unel) quits in a huff after losing his shit when a customer demands that his gazpacho (a Spanish soup, traditionally served cold) be heated up for him. The two sulking men are soon commiserating outside, where the pragmatic Shayn asks, “So, do you have a job for me?”
Although Shayn immediately admires what he refers to as the “Romanesque” ambiance of the spacious Soul Kitchen, it doesn’t take very long for him to ascertain that Zinos’ pedestrian menu could use some sprucing up. At first, the regular customers are bewildered by the nightly fresh sheets and the upscale food presentations on their plates. “Where’s our fries, burgers and pizza?” they demand-to which the mercurial Shayn curtly rebuffs “Get your pizza at the supermarket! Culinary rascists!” before storming back into the kitchen. Things settle down, the word gets out, and business picks up as the restaurant gains hip cachet. Zinos is not quite out of the woods yet, however. His brother Illias (Moritz Bleibtrau), a convicted thief, shows up unannounced on his doorstep, fresh out of prison on work release. He needs “employment” (on paper) which will help him keep his present status. Zinos reluctantly takes him on, much to the chagrin of his bartender and his lone waitress, Lucia (Anna Bederke). Still pining for Nadine, Zinos decides to cast his fate (and responsibilities) to the wind to join her in China. Desperate to find someone to manage the restaurant in his absence, he signs full power of attorney over to Illias (uh-oh). Now toss in one of Zinos’ old school chums (Wotan Wilke Mohring) who (for his own nefarious reasons) has taken a keen interest in the brisk business at the restaurant, and stir. Things, as Arte Johnson used to say, get velly interesting (“…but schtoopid!”).
Bousdoukos (whose passing resemblance to Jim Morrison is amusing, considering the title) and Bliebtrau have good chemistry as the brothers. Keep an eye out for the great Udo Kier in a minor role. Although many elements of the narrative feel familiar, the combination of energetic performances, well-chosen music (featuring everything from Louis Armstrong and Ruth Brown to Curtis Mayfield and Burning Spear) and Akin’s fresh directing approach make up for it. Sometimes, it’s all about the presentation, right?
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Eat them up, yum: Top 10 Food Flicks
…and one more thing
I also wanted to alert our Seattle area Hullabaloo readers to SIFF’s Festival of New Spanish Cinema, coming up next week (September 23-26). I’ll have some highlights for you in next Saturday’s post; in the meantime if you want more information about events, films, show times, and tickets, just click on the link above. Le veré la semana próxima!
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