What happens when you put Daniel Kaluuya – who gave us superb performances in Get Out and Judas & The Black Messiah – and Kibwe Tavares – who created beautiful short films such as Jonah and Robot & Scarecrow – together in the directors’ chairs for the very first time? You get their debut feature, The Kitchen, in which the impressive visuals only partly compensate for the uneven storyline.
The raw and masculine energy and the darkness of the dystopian London where this feature takes place instantly leaps off the screen. Congrats to cinematographer Wyatt Garfield (Mediterranea) and production designer Nathan Parker (I Am Not A Witch) for adding so much depth and impressive visuals to this movie from the get-go. Their work becomes even more remarkable thanks to the excellent CGI. The inequality between the rich and poor and the contrast between the Kitchen, the last social housing in rural South London still standing, and the modern buildings on the other side of the town are added to this film beautifully.
Speaking of the Kitchen, the people might not have much as their supplies are regularly cut off by the authorities who want to expel them, but they’re making the best out of it by coming together for rollerblading evenings, rap competitions, and dancing in nightclubs. However, their future might be as gloomy as the lights in those clubs when the government heightens its effort to get rid of the Kitchen to build modern, luxury flats instead. The people aren’t going down without a fight, which results in even more brutal police raids.
It’s in those dire circumstances that we meet Izy (Kane Robinson/Kano), who wants to leave his “shithole” (his words, not ours) to move to a sleek, modern, but quite lifeless building in Buena Vida. To do so, he works in a very unusual and futuristic funeral company, Life After Life, which mainly cremates poor and underprivileged people. That’s not what makes this crematorium so unusual. No, it’s the fact that the deceased’s ashes are turned into soil for plants that can be taken care of by the family.
Also, if you use London’s most adored and greenest indoor preserve, the Barbican Conservatory, let it at least be for something less morbid. But anyway, it’s at his workplace where Izy encounters Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), the sole attendee at the funeral of his mother, Toni. It’s clear but also unclear at the same time that Izy and Toni knew each other, but we never know exactly what their relationship was.
And that’s where the two biggest problems with this movie lie. Firstly, It’s not the first time in this movie that there’s a lack of background information. The directors presume too often that the audience knows everything about how dystopian London came to be and what’s happening with the local housing situation. The film goes from scene to scene with little explanation and exploration of the narrative. A bit more background information – especially for the viewers who don’t live in London – wouldn’t have hurt. Even more when it comes to the relationship between Izy and Toni and, therefore, the relationship between Izy and Benji as their bond becomes the centre of this movie when Izy lets the boy live in his small studio during a tough time.
Secondly, Toni is the only important female character in this film and is dead. Does the dystopian future only consist of men? If so, there’s sadly not a lot of hope for us women. Females and, therefore also, inequality between men and women are overlooked in this script, which is a shame, especially when the movie addresses many other social and political issues such as poor versus wealthy, the housing crisis, a repressive government, etc.
Despite all the movie’s political statements, The Kitchen never becomes too preachy because there’s a perfect balance between the political topics and the evolving relationship between Izy and Benji. The emotions counterbalance the possible political messages this movie wants to deliver beautifully. Speaking of delivering, newcomer Bannerman certainly knows how to deliver a tremendous one-liner or two. His debut performance is both hilarious and touching at the same time, and despite Robinson/Kano (Top Boy) being the more experienced actor and giving us a dramatic and captivating performance, it’s Bannerman who’s the driving force behind this movie.
Who’s the heart and the force of the Kitchen itself? It’s Lord Kitchener – a local DJ who gives the people the hope and courage they need – and Ian Wright (Gun of the Black Sun) portrays him with a lot of power and emotions. Fortunately for this movie, Wright’s role is more than just a cameo. It is a well-thought-out and explored character.
Despite The Kitchen looking striking and shining a much-needed light on critical social issues, the underdeveloped dystopian future, the lack of female characters, and the slightly predictable narrative don’t do the talent both in front and behind the camera enough justice. You can see the greatness of Kaluuya and Tavares as new directors coming through, but less than this movie needs.
The Kitchen is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Despite The Kitchen looking striking and shining a much-needed light on critical social issues, the underdeveloped dystopian future, the lack of female characters, and the slightly predictable narrative don't do the talent both in front and behind the camera enough justice. You can see the greatness of Kaluuya and Tavares as new directors coming through, but less than this movie needs.
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GVN Rating 6.5
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User Ratings (1 Votes)
9.2