49/46
Our Love Written by Al Hazan Performed by The Starr Sisters
In the heart of a bustling Times Square kitchen, dreams and despair collide as the staff chase the elusive American dream.. A black-and-white comic tragedy or tragicomedy about various people who are drawn, like moths to a flame, to work in the kitchen of a famous restaurant in New York’s Times Square.
But what could be worse?
The working conditions are disgusting, the bosses manipulative and threatening, most of the kitchen employees are illegal immigrants from places where the standard of living is considered to be worse than in the US. They work under constant pressure, almost always tense and stressed, constantly yelled at, humiliated and even accused of crimes they did not commit.
The international cast is great, the music is superb, the acting and cinematography are wonderful
The central characters, a local waitress and a Mexican chef, are more disturbed than the others; and they begin a kind of love story and hell knows where it will end. There’s also humor, a lot of noise, sporadic bouts of violence, a dream-sharing session, some flirting with consequences, multiple languages (and multiple misunderstandings), plenty of food and drink, a very tight schedule, dirty jokes, and a ray of hope throughout.
But is this the better life?
The main theme, in my opinion, is how overrated the Times Square place is – the people of Cocina go through so much suffering and abuse there, and they only got there in the hope of a better life, the American dream. True, it’s not the lowest of lows, and most of them seem to be doing just fine, but they, like everyone else, surely deserve more than this overrated Times Square place has to offer.