There’s this conversation about how the food they serve in this restaurant is simple, unpretentious yet tasteful. This film has a similar punk ethos. It’s a very simple exploration of why working in the hospitality industry is a nightmare, a pressure cooker thriller in the same vein as a film like _Uncut Gems_ (or _The Bear_, who took this idea for their tv show). For a film that’s only 94 minutes we get a pretty detailed picture. Dumb customers, colleagues who get on each other’s nerves, unexpected guests & orders, flawed characters; it’s all in here and not always executed in the most expected way. With the note it decides to leave on I interpret the film as being a critique of how the industry currently operates, which the rest of the film builds a solid argument for. The third act in particular is some of the finest drama I’ve seen in a while (great acting from everyone involved). Sometimes, however, the portrayal of characters (e.g. the influencers) or dramatic escalation leading up to that point can feel a little forced or inauthentic. There’s obviously meant to be a history between these characters we never got to see, so I can look past some of it. Stylistically, I think it pulls off the illusion of using a single take perfectly. I also liked the subtle use of Dutch angles and shaky cam as things got more stressful. Maybe they could’ve also played around more with making the lighting harsher as the film went along, though that might be impossible given how much the camera moves around. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I’d recommend it to fans of the aforementioned film and tv show.

7.5/10