Summary

The Kitchen has a visually stunning look and feel, with Kane Robinson delivering a fantastic performance as Izi. The film explores compelling themes and a plot about a biased system on the brink of rebellion but lacks the energy to raise the stakes effectively. While The Kitchen is well-acted and does a solid job worldbuilding, it struggles to balance its central drama and ultimately only succeeds in telling one of its intended stories.

Nothing made me happier than hearing Daniel Kaluuya was planning his writing and directorial debut with The Kitchen. The actor has near-perfect taste when choosing projects and has yet to turn in a bad performance. With Top Boy alumni Kane Robinson in the lead role, the film had the potential to be extraordinary. Sadly, extraordinary wasn’t what was achieved. The futuristic drama has a lot going for it, but it never leaves a mark. The Kitchen is still well-executed despite not standing out among its peers, but perhaps my expectations were too high, and it’ll click with most viewers.

The Kitchen is a sci-fi drama series directed by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya created for Netflix. Izi is a man set on escaping the last social housing establishment in a futuristic dystopian London. However, a young boy named Benji enters his life, forcing him to re-evaluate his escape plans and fight for those who still remain. ProsKaluuya’s film has a strong cast and story The Kitchen excels at worldbuilding ConsThe film’s central drama is stagnant It lacks the energy needed to up the stakes

The Look & Feel Of The Kitchen Is Undeniably Good

Robinson is fantastic as Izi, and seeing him taking more acting roles is great. The multi-hyphenate star shows us a softer side in The Kitchen, but he does so with his signature glare. So much of what he brings to Izi is below the surface and the sheer volume of emoting he conveys is a feat unto itself. When standing perfectly still, there is a volcano of rage ready to erupt and in Izi’s most aggressive outbursts, a hurt young man is crying out for help.

The central drama is stagnant, yet it’s where the film spends all of its emotional capital. As a result, the inevitable revolution does not get the room it needs to breathe.

Small touches throughout The Kitchen indicate that Kaluuya has good instincts, and this film seems like only the beginning of something greater. The deconstructed Nike masks featured in the opening heist were a very popular Instagram concept a few years ago when this movie would have been conceived.

You simply don’t see that kind of style in movies anymore and certainly not in movies of this scale. Paired with the shooting style and overall direction of Staples’ (Hope Ikpoku Jnr) gang, there are flashes of style here that are unique to the first-time filmmaker, who directed alongside Kibwe Tavares and wrote the script with Joe Murtagh.

The Revolution Fits The Future But The Drama Belongs In The Past

The themes and plot of The Kitchen are infallible. A young man is searching for answers in an older man who has none, and the backdrop is a society on the brink of all-out rebellion because of a biased system. All of this is properly conveyed, but it’s in a way that lacks the energy to meaningfully raise the stakes. At first, the film seems in danger of getting wrapped up in the style of a world set decades from our own, but slowly it reveals that it is far more meditative.

Now that should be a good thing, but the drama is not engaging despite being well-acted and plotted. The interpersonal drama and housing displacement are often imbalanced and the film’s best moments seem fleeting. The central drama is stagnant, yet it’s where the film spends all of its emotional capital. As a result, the inevitable revolution does not get the room it needs to breathe. The monologues delivered by Ikpoku Jnr have gravitas but the prerequisite plotting is not there to back it up where it counts.

At first, the film seems in danger of getting wrapped up in the style of a world set decades from our own, but slowly it reveals that it is far more meditative.

The Kitchen is a film with a lot of heart, though, and newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman (who plays Benji) really carries the movie. The film is objectively good but also not special. It does a solid job worldbuilding and visually everything looks great but the film’s center is constantly out of focus. From an acting standpoint, there are no weak links, and credit Kaluuya and Tavares for getting the most out of the young talent. Ultimately, The Kitchen is a film with its heart set on two stories and only succeeds in telling one.

The Kitchen (2024) Release Date January 19, 2024 Director Kibwe Tavares , Daniel Kaluuya Cast Kane Robinson , Jedaiah Bannerman , Hope Ikpoku Jr. , Teija Kabs , Demmy Ladipo , Cristale , BackRoad Gee Runtime 107 Minutes Writers Rob Hayes , Daniel Kaluuya , Joe Murtagh Studio(s) 59% Productions , DMC Film , Factory Fifteen , Film4 Distributor(s) Netflix