Pressure Cooker

As the culinary-arts instructor at the primarily African-American Frankford High School in Philadelphia, Wilma Stephenson is a force to be reckoned with. For 40 years, she's been both beloved and notorious for her tough-love approach. While some of her students may chafe at her in-your-face attitude, no one in her kitchen classroom disrespects her or fails to respond favorably to her compassionate ferocity. When Stephenson chides a student's behavior or kitchen technique as "so ghetto," it's not so much a put-down as an admonishment to rise above circumstances and pursue perfection as a means of making dreams come true. As Stephenson's latest class prepares for careers as chefs and restaurateurs, it's no surprise that they all perform admirably in a citywide scholarship competition sponsored by the nonprofit Careers Through Culinary Arts Program. The students have all been driven to excel thanks to Stephenson's combination of no-nonsense affection and uncompromising attention to detail. Over the course of one school year, filmmakers Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker's Pressure Cooker focuses on three students who must juggle conflicting priorities, familial obligations, and their own typical teenage uncertainties. Easygoing and frequently humorous, the film is ultimately not so much about pressure as clarity of purpose, capturing a unique teacher's methodology of building confidence and pride to achieve joyous results. DVD extras include bonus scenes and an update on Stephenson. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)