The Kitchen (2024)

Co-directed by Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavaras, The Kitchen tells the story of a funeral-service worker trying to work his way out of the titular Kitchen, a housing a estate in a futuristic London. And as far as 'The Kitchen' goes, it's a dystopian time ahead for its residents. Izi (played by actor and musician Kane Robinson) has lived in the Kitchen for an indeterminate time; but it's long enough for him to be actively looking for a way out. Early on we see him asked to place a deposit down on an apartment he's been waiting for to become available, and he immediately swipes away the request. There are reasons he's not quite ready to leave but we're not entirely sure whether it's financial or something else. Izi meets Benji, a young boy who's just lost his mother and has never met his dad although there's one or two things that he knows about his Father; where he lives and works for example. Izi takes Benji in for reasons that are seemingly clear but as the film continues we start to wonder whether these motivations are as obvious as we initially thought. After his inceptive questions to Izi about what it's like to live in the Kitchen, Benji gets to experience it himself when Izi offers him a place to stay for a couple of nights. The Kitchen itself is like a blend of architecture from Duncan Jones' Mute (2018) and both Blade Runner films (1982-2017), and the futuristic feel of the film is effectively grounded in the current climate; coming across like an episode of Black Mirror (2011-) at times. And as far as British social-realist Sci-fi goes, there are shades of Joe Cornish's Attack the Block (2011) as well as a nod to Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men (2006), reminding us that this sort of drama isn't as original as one or two have claimed. The Sci-fi elements are productively understated; Kaluuya and Tavaras are at pains to imprint upon their audience how close to current reality this could actually be. Threatened with eviction, the residents of the Kitchen barricade themselves in their apartments during frequent armed police raids- any that are left floundering outside of their homes are brutally beaten and dragged away. The Kitchen isn't overly subtle with its influences but its setting is the beating heart of the story, which is rather needed because despite Robinson and Jedaiah Bannerman's (Benji) best efforts, it's difficult to find any sort of emotional foothold. I cared more about spending time in the diverting setting than the relationship between the two leads, and wanted to spend more time with the Kitchen's estate DJ, Lord Kitchener- surprisingly played by ex-footballer Ian Wright. Not only that, Wright excels in the role, quite possibly this is the start of another career for him, following in the footsteps of another of his generation in Eric Cantona perhaps? In the end The Kitchen is an admirable calling card for Kibwe and Kaluuya, especially in terms of tone and setting. The lack of emotion I had invested in the film throughout was a problem, and the attempted surprises in the film are so telegraphed I couldn't quite believe whether they were actually being offered up as such or not. However, the world building is impressive, especially in the small details and this keeps you engaged if only for spending time in the Kitchen itself. 6.4/10