Soul Kitchen (film)
Encyclopedia
Soul Kitchen is a 2009 German comedy film directed by Fatih Akın
, with a screenplay by Akin and Adam Bousdoukos. Bousdoukos based the story on his own experiences as the owner of a Greek tavern named "Taverna", where Akin was a regular customer. Akin filmed the movie entirely in the Hamburg
area.
The film had its world premiere on 10 September 2009 at the 66th Venice Film Festival. The movie received general release in Germany on 25 December 2009. Akin dedicated the film to his brother Cem, who appears in the film as Milli. The film also carries a tribute in the end credits to Monica Bleibtreu
(mother of Moritz Bleibtreu
), whose appearance as Nadine's grandmother in this film was her next-to-last cinema credit.
, owns Soul Kitchen, a shabby, run-down restaurant providing working-class food in the Hamburg
area, in an old warehouse space. The business is struggling financially, and tax inspectors ask Zinos for payments. Occasionally a punk rock
band uses the restaurant as practice space, but never pays rental fees. An old sailor, Sokrates, continuously works on his boat at the warehouse, but is never able to pay the rent.
At a family gathering at an upscale restaurant, Zinos argues with his girlfriend Nadine, a journalist, who is preparing to leave on assignment to Shanghai
. During that dinner, the chef, Shayn, has an argument with a customer, and the restaurant owner dismisses Shayn on the spot. Afterwards, Zinos meets an old schoolmate, Thomas Neumann, and his fiancée Tanja. In spite of their arguments over Nadine's assignment to Shanghai, Zinos and Nadine maintain contact via Skype
. Zino's incarcerated brother Illias, a gambler and hustler, is serving a prison sentence, and has "special leave" where he is allowed occasional leave from the prison, but must do community work as part of the terms. Zinos agrees to hire Illias to work at Soul Kitchen, to the disdain of bartender Lucia, because Illias has never had a regular job. Illias asks Zinos not to tell anyone about his criminal past. Later, Zinos injures his back when trying to move a heavy dishwasher. He has no medical insurance and cannot afford full medical treatment. Zinos meets a physical therapist, Anna, in the course of his recovery.
Unable to cook, Zinos finds Shayn and hires him as Soul Kitchen's new cook. Shayn insists on changing the menu to a new haute cuisine
menu. This drives away the old clientele and shrinks business to nearly nothing. Illias has the idea of being a DJ at Soul Kitchen, which he achieves with equipment stolen with the help of his criminal friends. Shayn begins to teach Zinos gourmet cooking skills. Gradually, the restaurant's reputation and fortunes turn around, to the point where Zinos can make a tax payment to the authorities. Although Zinos inadvertently, whilst drunk, revealed to Lucia that Illias has a criminal record, with time and his success as a DJ at Soul Kitchen, Lucia changes her opinion of Illias and begins to find herself attracted to him. Meanwhile, Neumann has designs on purchasing the restaurant property and re-developing the site. He offers to buy Soul Kitchen from Zinos, but Zinos continually refuses. One evening, Shayn spikes one dessert with an aphrosidiac from tree bark. This has an effect on everyone in the restaurant, including Neumann and Frau Schuster, the lead tax inspector, where the two of them have sex. Afterwards, after Zinos complimented Neumann on this liaison, Neumann says that he's done the same thing financially to the tax authorities. However, on her way out of the restaurant, Zinos chats with Frau Schuster, and Zinos reveals Neumann's full name to her.
Zinos had hoped to travel to Shanghai to meet Nadine, but the new success of Soul Kitchen causes Zinos to be distracted from maintaining contact with her. New tensions arise in their relationship. To try to reconcile with Nadine, Zinos plans to leave for Shanghai, after he makes Illias manager of Soul Kitchen and gives him full power of attorney. Nadine advises Zinos not to make the journey, because she might be moving her assignment to Tibet. Zinos buys the plane ticket, but at the airport
about to leave, he sees Nadine, accompanied by a Chinese man, Mr Han. She has returned following the sudden death of her grandmother. At the funeral, at which Zinos arrives uninvited (having left the airport rather than take his flight), he realises that Mr Han is Nadine's new boyfriend. Zinos disrupts the funeral and becomes estranged from Nadine and her family.
In Zinos' absence, Illias loses the Soul Kitchen in a poker game to Neumann, and signs away the deed. Neumann and his hired men evict Zinos, Illias and the other denizens of Soul Kitchen. To try to prevent completion of the deal, Zinos, Illias and some accomplices plan to steal the title deed. The theft fails and the brothers are arrested. Zinos is released, but Illias is kept confined for violating the terms of his sentence. In a final desperate move to try to cure his herniated disc, Anna takes Zinos to a chiropractor
, Kemal "the Bone Cruncher", whose extreme therapy succeeds.
Zinos is despondent at losing both his restaurant and Nadine. However, Nadine feels some guilt for ending her relationship with Zinos. They have a reconciliation of sorts, where she indicates her eventual plans to return to China and to stay with Mr Han. Lucia has found employment at another restaurant, and Shayn has apparently left the country altogether. In a sudden twist, however, the tax authorities have arrested and convicted Neumann of tax fraud. In prison, Neumann catches a glimpse of Illias, not knowing before that Illias was a convict. Soul Kitchen is now up for auction to the highest bidder, because Neumann's ownership is now void. Zinos asks Nadine for a loan to bid for Soul Kitchen at the auction, because she is now wealthy from her grandmother's inheritance. Through a fortunate accident due to Sokrates which prevents a rival bid against Zinos, Zinos wins the auction and buys the restaurant back. Although in prison, Illias continue his relationship with Lucia. The film ends with the restaurant closed for a "private party", with only two attendees, Zinos and Anna, who is visiting Soul Kitchen for the first time.
Fatih Akin
Fatih Akın is a German film director, screenwriter and producer of Turkish descent.- Personal life :Akın was born in 1973 in Hamburg to parents of Turkish ethnicity...
, with a screenplay by Akin and Adam Bousdoukos. Bousdoukos based the story on his own experiences as the owner of a Greek tavern named "Taverna", where Akin was a regular customer. Akin filmed the movie entirely in the Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
area.
The film had its world premiere on 10 September 2009 at the 66th Venice Film Festival. The movie received general release in Germany on 25 December 2009. Akin dedicated the film to his brother Cem, who appears in the film as Milli. The film also carries a tribute in the end credits to Monica Bleibtreu
Monica Bleibtreu
Monica Bleibtreu was an Austrian actress and screenwriter, best-known in the German-speaking world for her German film, television and stage roles.-Life and career:...
(mother of Moritz Bleibtreu
Moritz Bleibtreu
Moritz Bleibtreu is a German actor.Bleibtreu was born in Munich, the son of actors Monica Bleibtreu and Hans Brenner, and the great-grand-nephew of the actress Hedwig Bleibtreu.Bleibtreu grew up in Hamburg...
), whose appearance as Nadine's grandmother in this film was her next-to-last cinema credit.
Plot
Zinos, a German of Greek descentGreeks in Germany
The Greeks in Germany form a significant community with a population of 294,891 people according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, on December 31, 2007.-History:The first Greeks came during the time of the Roman Empire to Central Europe....
, owns Soul Kitchen, a shabby, run-down restaurant providing working-class food in the Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
area, in an old warehouse space. The business is struggling financially, and tax inspectors ask Zinos for payments. Occasionally a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band uses the restaurant as practice space, but never pays rental fees. An old sailor, Sokrates, continuously works on his boat at the warehouse, but is never able to pay the rent.
At a family gathering at an upscale restaurant, Zinos argues with his girlfriend Nadine, a journalist, who is preparing to leave on assignment to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. During that dinner, the chef, Shayn, has an argument with a customer, and the restaurant owner dismisses Shayn on the spot. Afterwards, Zinos meets an old schoolmate, Thomas Neumann, and his fiancée Tanja. In spite of their arguments over Nadine's assignment to Shanghai, Zinos and Nadine maintain contact via Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
. Zino's incarcerated brother Illias, a gambler and hustler, is serving a prison sentence, and has "special leave" where he is allowed occasional leave from the prison, but must do community work as part of the terms. Zinos agrees to hire Illias to work at Soul Kitchen, to the disdain of bartender Lucia, because Illias has never had a regular job. Illias asks Zinos not to tell anyone about his criminal past. Later, Zinos injures his back when trying to move a heavy dishwasher. He has no medical insurance and cannot afford full medical treatment. Zinos meets a physical therapist, Anna, in the course of his recovery.
Unable to cook, Zinos finds Shayn and hires him as Soul Kitchen's new cook. Shayn insists on changing the menu to a new haute cuisine
Haute cuisine
Haute cuisine or grande cuisine was characterised by French cuisine in elaborate preparations and presentations served in small and numerous courses that were produced by large and hierarchical staffs at the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe.The 17th century chef and writer La Varenne...
menu. This drives away the old clientele and shrinks business to nearly nothing. Illias has the idea of being a DJ at Soul Kitchen, which he achieves with equipment stolen with the help of his criminal friends. Shayn begins to teach Zinos gourmet cooking skills. Gradually, the restaurant's reputation and fortunes turn around, to the point where Zinos can make a tax payment to the authorities. Although Zinos inadvertently, whilst drunk, revealed to Lucia that Illias has a criminal record, with time and his success as a DJ at Soul Kitchen, Lucia changes her opinion of Illias and begins to find herself attracted to him. Meanwhile, Neumann has designs on purchasing the restaurant property and re-developing the site. He offers to buy Soul Kitchen from Zinos, but Zinos continually refuses. One evening, Shayn spikes one dessert with an aphrosidiac from tree bark. This has an effect on everyone in the restaurant, including Neumann and Frau Schuster, the lead tax inspector, where the two of them have sex. Afterwards, after Zinos complimented Neumann on this liaison, Neumann says that he's done the same thing financially to the tax authorities. However, on her way out of the restaurant, Zinos chats with Frau Schuster, and Zinos reveals Neumann's full name to her.
Zinos had hoped to travel to Shanghai to meet Nadine, but the new success of Soul Kitchen causes Zinos to be distracted from maintaining contact with her. New tensions arise in their relationship. To try to reconcile with Nadine, Zinos plans to leave for Shanghai, after he makes Illias manager of Soul Kitchen and gives him full power of attorney. Nadine advises Zinos not to make the journey, because she might be moving her assignment to Tibet. Zinos buys the plane ticket, but at the airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
about to leave, he sees Nadine, accompanied by a Chinese man, Mr Han. She has returned following the sudden death of her grandmother. At the funeral, at which Zinos arrives uninvited (having left the airport rather than take his flight), he realises that Mr Han is Nadine's new boyfriend. Zinos disrupts the funeral and becomes estranged from Nadine and her family.
In Zinos' absence, Illias loses the Soul Kitchen in a poker game to Neumann, and signs away the deed. Neumann and his hired men evict Zinos, Illias and the other denizens of Soul Kitchen. To try to prevent completion of the deal, Zinos, Illias and some accomplices plan to steal the title deed. The theft fails and the brothers are arrested. Zinos is released, but Illias is kept confined for violating the terms of his sentence. In a final desperate move to try to cure his herniated disc, Anna takes Zinos to a chiropractor
Chiropractor
A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...
, Kemal "the Bone Cruncher", whose extreme therapy succeeds.
Zinos is despondent at losing both his restaurant and Nadine. However, Nadine feels some guilt for ending her relationship with Zinos. They have a reconciliation of sorts, where she indicates her eventual plans to return to China and to stay with Mr Han. Lucia has found employment at another restaurant, and Shayn has apparently left the country altogether. In a sudden twist, however, the tax authorities have arrested and convicted Neumann of tax fraud. In prison, Neumann catches a glimpse of Illias, not knowing before that Illias was a convict. Soul Kitchen is now up for auction to the highest bidder, because Neumann's ownership is now void. Zinos asks Nadine for a loan to bid for Soul Kitchen at the auction, because she is now wealthy from her grandmother's inheritance. Through a fortunate accident due to Sokrates which prevents a rival bid against Zinos, Zinos wins the auction and buys the restaurant back. Although in prison, Illias continue his relationship with Lucia. The film ends with the restaurant closed for a "private party", with only two attendees, Zinos and Anna, who is visiting Soul Kitchen for the first time.
Cast
- Adam Bousdoukos – Zinos Kazantsakis
- Birol ÜnelBirol ÜnelBirol Ünel is a German actor of Turkish descent. He has acted in a number of German and Turkish films, TV series and theatrical productions. His name, "Birol", means "unique" in Turkish....
– Shayn Weiss - Moritz BleibtreuMoritz BleibtreuMoritz Bleibtreu is a German actor.Bleibtreu was born in Munich, the son of actors Monica Bleibtreu and Hans Brenner, and the great-grand-nephew of the actress Hedwig Bleibtreu.Bleibtreu grew up in Hamburg...
– Illias Kazantsakis - Anna Bederke – Lucia Faust
- Pheline Roggan – Nadine Krüger
- Dorka Gryllus – Anna Mondstein
- Wotan Wilke MöhringWotan Wilke Möhring-Life and work:He grew up in Herne. His father was an Army officer and his mother worked as a teacher. He has a sister and two brothers. One of them, Sönke Möhring is also an actor....
– Thomas Neumann - Lucas Gregorowicz – Lutz
- Demir GökgölDemir Gökgöl-Filmography:-Television:-External links:...
– Sokrates - Udo KierUdo KierUdo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
– Herr Jung - Monica BleibtreuMonica BleibtreuMonica Bleibtreu was an Austrian actress and screenwriter, best-known in the German-speaking world for her German film, television and stage roles.-Life and career:...
– Grandma Krüger - Marc Hosemann – Ziege
- Cem Akın – Milli
- Jan FedderJan FedderJan Fedder is a German actor. He is best known for his role as police officer Dirk Matthies in the German television show "Großstadtrevier"...
– Herr Meyer - Catrin Striebeck – Frau Schuster
- Uğur YücelUgur YücelUğur Yücel is a Turkish film actor, producer and director. He graduated from the Theater department at the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory . He took part in several plays between 1975 and 1984 in Kenter Tiyatosu , Tef Kaber Theatre, Dormen Theatre, and Şan Müzikholü...
– "Bonebreaker" Kemal - Maria Ketikidou – policewoman
- Hendrik von Bültzingslöwen - assistant to Frau Schuster
- Julia Wachsmann - Tanja
- Maverick Quek - Mr Han
- Markus Imboden - Nadine's father
- Gudrun Egner - Nadine's mother
- Arne Benzing, Piotr Gregorowicz, Hans Ludwiczak, Jan Weichsel - Bad Boy Boogiez Band musicians
- Peter Jordan - notary
External links
- Soul Kitchen at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Mekado Murphy, "A Kitchen, and Filmmaker, With Soul". New York Times, ArtsBeat blog, 23 April 2010.