Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: The Kitchen (2024)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Length: 1h 47min
Rating: R
Directors: Daniel Kaluuya, Kibwe
Tavares
Writers: Daniel
Kaluuya, Joe Murtagh
Actors: Kane "Kano"
Robinson, Hope Ikpoku Jr., Henry Lawfull, Reuben 'Trizzy' Nyamah, BackRoad Gee,
Cristale, Alan Asaad, Rasaq Kukoyi, Demmy Ladipo, Jedaiah Bannerman, Fiona
Marr, Ian Wright, Teija Kabs, Rania Chakir, Tiarnae Fearon-Spencer, Olivia-Rose
Colliard
IMDb Blurb: In a dystopian future
London where all social housing has been eliminated, Izi and Benji fight to
navigate the world as residents of The Kitchen, a community that refuses to
abandon their home.
Cat’s Point of View:
My impression of The Kitchen was complicated.
First, I don’t necessarily feel entirely misled by the
trailer because all the promised elements were within the film. It was,
however, presented at a different pace than teased in the promotional material.
There was less of a thrilling aspect and more of a slow-burning family and
societal drama unfolding, instead. I also question that The Kitchen was
labeled as an “adventure.” It was dystopian and subtly sci-fi, but all too
close to current reality in everything other than some aspects of the setting
and the technology displayed.
On one hand, I appreciated that there was no long-winded
explanations spoon-feeding me the story of how the world – or, more
specifically, London -- had come to this state of being. The flip-side of that,
though, is that there needed to be a significant amount of context within the
story and visuals of the movie to build the background for what wasn’t said
outright.
When I read the synopsis for The Kitchen on sites
such as IMDb before sitting down to write, I had an “Oh!” moment because
aspects of the plot became clear only then. I am pretty sure I was glued to the
screen the entire runtime of this film and I simply did not pick up on some of
the facts. I understood the element of gentrification at play against the
residents of the housing block where the primary characters resided, but not
the political aspect behind it. I still have so many questions that the abrupt
ending didn’t resolve for me.
On the other hand, The Kitchen was a powerful and
emotional story about community and the building of a paternal bond between a
reluctant, perhaps unsuspecting, man and a young boy. The Kitchen really
shined through these story elements and how they struggled to find common
ground and their own right paths. The whole housing situation played a role,
but that and the dystopian and futuristic aspects of this tale took a backseat
to the dramatic search for family and connection in the wake of grief.
In spite of the fact that I was lacking answers to some aspects
of the world this story was set in, the subtlety of how life in future London
was portrayed was rather impressive. It was more realistic and believable than
huge leaps of technology as we often see with the flying transportation,
holograms everywhere, and cybernetics galore. It helped ground everything with
a sense that it was believable and could actually happen – rather than
disconnecting the audience as a clear work of fiction.
I was impressed to learn that this was the feature
directorial debut for Kibwe Tavares (Robots of Brixton, Jonah, Robot &
Scarecrow) and Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah,
Nope). This was a visually stunning opening foray for this pair and I am looking
forward to seeing what they bring audiences in the future, as they refine their
craft.
I’m not sure that The Kitchen would be my go-to
recommendation if looking for an adventurous sci-fi film on Netflix. If you
were, however, looking for a significant drama with a sci-fi flair, then this
might be something up your alley.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic
Score – 86%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience
Score – 55%
Metascore – 68%
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.3/10
Trust the Dice: Cat’s
Rating – 3/5
Movie Trailer:
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