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Pressure Cooker

Presented by The Colonial Theatre at The Colonial Theatre

March 20, 2011

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Wilma Stephenson runs her high school culinary arts class like a Marine sergeant: She’s loud, cranky, and prone to threatening bodily harm...For her students at a Northeastern Philadelphia school, she might also be their ticket out of stifling homes and a dead-end neighborhood. Pressure Cooker focuses on three seniors taking Stephenson’s class to prepare for the Culinary Institute of America’s scholarship competition: Fatoumata, a recent immigrant from Africa who longs to escape her oppressive father; Tyree, a football player hoping to secure a future not only for himself but his single mom; and Erica, a young woman who, after a lifetime of caring for her blind sister, has decided to get hers. The intersection of food and identity is briefly explored, and the prep/exam sequences have a tension and charm that keeps the film moving toward its literally rewarding climax. Stephenson looms largest as a reminder of what the right teacher can mean to a kid looking for a way out...(Michelle Orange, The Village Voice). Directed by Jennifer Grausman & Mark Becker. US. 2008. NR. Running time: 99 min.