The Kitchen (15)

Dir: Kibwe Tavares, Daniel Kaluuya

Cast: Kane ‘Kano’ Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jr, Teija Kabs, Demmy Ladipo, Cristale, BackRoad Gee, Ian Wright

Despite some solid performances and worldbuilding, this slow and tedious sci-fi drama fails to fully explore its social themes

Following the release of the derivative and instantly forgettable Lift earlier this month, Netflix will be hoping for a stronger response to their second major production of the month. Co-produced by Film4, ‘The Kitchen‘ is a gritty dystopian tale of community and inequality and marks the directorial debut of Kibwe Tavares and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya. After years of working the British television and film circuit, Kaluuya finally gained worldwide recognition in 2017 following the release of Jordan Peele‘s socially aware horror Get Out.

Kaluuya has gone onto become one of the most sought after talents in the industry, landing roles in major franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as his Academy Award winning performance in Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). Now taking his place in the director’s chair, Kaluuya’s latest project is more akin to that of Charlie Brooker‘s anthology series Black Mirror, in which of course Kaluuya made an appearance. Co-written by Kaluuya and Joe Murtagh, ‘The Kitchen’ tackles the inaccessibility of affordable housing in the UK, particularly in London.

We are introduced to funeral service employee Izi (Kane ‘Kano’ Robinson), who lives in the titular “Kitchen”, a dystopian housing project in a near-future London. The Kitchen houses the city’s poor community and as a result of its private listing, is the target of violent police raids as the government attempts to evict the occupants. A very self-reliant but lonely Izi has managed to save enough money to move out of The Kitchen, but his efforts of relocation are thrown into disarray when he runs into the recently orphaned Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman).

Out of desperation and curiosity, Benji begins to cling to Izi and ultimately follows him into the Kitchen. An initially reluctant Izi begins to warm to the boy, feeling somewhat responsible for his wellbeing, especially when the teenager falls in with a crown of vigilante activists.

Considering this is their first feature behind the camera, Kaluuya and Tavares excel here, and their direction is what manages to hold together this otherwise bleak and meandering story. From the outset, the pair’s visceral and kinetic direction fully immerses you into this near-future Britain, making it all to real, painting a haunting picture of what is to come if the housing crisis is not rectified. Along with Wyatt Garfield‘s cinematography, the filmmakers are able to get the most of what I assume is a relatively modest budget, highlighting plenty of production design without lingering too much so the financial limitations begin to show.

Kaluuya and Tavares manage to make this world feel lived in from the off, with the only exposition coming from “The Kitchen’s” resident eye in the sky and disk jockey, known as Lord Kitchener and portrayed by former Arsenal footballer Ian Wright. As a football fan it was slightly jarring to see Wright in a surprisingly large role here, even if it simply mirrors Samuel L. Jackson‘s iconic turn as Mister Senor Love Daddy in Spike Lee‘s Do the Right Thing. This thought provoking take on futuristic London is largely grounded by the two solid central performances by Kano and Bannerman. Kano has managed to build up his reputation after several acclaimed series of Top Boy but it is Bannerman who captivates as the clearly scared but resilient Benji.

Kaluuya clearly shows signs of promise as a filmmaker having worked with some of the greats in modern cinema, however he has a lot to learn when it comes to his screenwriting. While there is plenty of potential with a premise that tackles several topical themes, the film’s social commentary never quite manages to hit home like it should. The breadcrumbs of social and racial inequality are laid very early but they never really materialise into anything with any emotional weight or investment. I think the problem stems from spending too much time in “The Kitchen” itself, this does not allow the audiences to explore the world in which the upper and middle classes occupy, making it difficult to get that sense of injustice. On top of this, the central story itself fails to ever develop following Izi and Benji’s first interaction. There is the trademark paternal story of acceptance as Izi begins to care for Benji, putting his potential new and improved life at jeopardy in the process, but you cannot centre a whole 100-minute runtime around this, particularly when it seems to reach its conclusion around the half way mark. While I think these central performances were solid, there is not enough for the characters to do to gain my investment, so by the time the bleak and abrupt finale arrives, I found myself not caring all that much.

‘The Kitchen’ has plenty of promise but never manages to capitalise on it dystopian premise or socially relevant themes. It is competently made by Tavares and the talented Daniel Kaluuya but the slow and tedious central story made it difficult to stay immersed in the visually striking depiction of a future Britain.

The Kitchen is available to stream on Netflix