Directed by: Kibwe Tavares & Daniel Kaluuya
Distributed by: Netflix
Written by Alexander Reams
82/100
Directors Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya both make their feature debut with “The Kitchen,” with Kaluuya sharing a screenplay credit with Joe Murtaugh. The story focuses on Isaac or Izi portrayed by rapper Kano (credited as Kane Robinson), as a longtime fan of the music he’s created it was intriguing to see him move into the world of performing on film. He sets the tone of the film and conveys much about his character and the Kitchen by simply walking to the communal shower. “The Kitchen” feels grimy and dirty, its macabre gray environment comes to life portraying the last of lower-income housing in this dystopian future.
Izi is a man focused on pure survival, conning fellow community members to make sales at his job so he can escape the Kitchen. This changes when he meets Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), a teenager mourning the loss of his mother who may have had a relationship with Izi, but the latter doesn’t want to open that door. That could be the thing that undoes everything Izi has worked for and takes the opportunity to move out away from him. Kaluuya and Tavares do an excellent job of portraying the lack of faith that many in the Kitchen have, and the chemistry between the two leads makes the dramatic narrative carry the weight of such an important question. The finale reminded this writer of the final act of Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables,” the ambiguous ending fits within the bleak narrative that Kaluuya and Murtaugh set out to tell. It’s definitely a British film, and the influences of grime rap are all over this which may make this writer biased, but it’s a great film with a superb performance by Kane Robinson.
“The Kitchen” Trailer
You can connect with Alexander on his social media profiles: Instagram, Letterboxd, and Twitter. Or see more of his work on his website.