The Kitchen sees Daniel Kaluuya make his first foray into the world of directing, to great effect. At times, this Netflix release feels like two separate worlds rather than one, with the dystopian environment unable to remain solidified in the viewer’s mind.
★★★☆☆
Daniel Kaluuya has been acting for over 15 years now and has worked with some brilliant directors in that period; Jordan Peele, Denis Villeneuve and Ryan Coogler to name just a few. Alongside Kibwe Tavares, he directed The Kitchen and this film has a lot to say about the growing divide between the rich and poor in modern-day society.
Kane Robinson, a.k.a. Kano, plays the lead role of Izi and he is one of a few Top Boy actors to feature here. Izi lives in The Kitchen, an impoverished area with a rare amount of freedom in dystopian London whose residents are determined to fight back against their oppressors.
Kano’s character is a mysterious one and we as the viewer are peeling back his layers through the eyes of young Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman). The loss of Benji’s mum has brought his world crashing down and so with his unwanted independence, he’s venturing out and meeting new people. Izi is one person to whom is he drawn whilst Benji is also intrigued by a younger group, spearheaded by Staples, played by Hope Ikpoku Jnr who received great acclaim for his portrayal of Aaron in the aforementioned Top Boy.
Nope star Kaluuya is clearly a bright young mind in this creative space and this shines through with the world-building of The Kitchen. As picturesque and engrossing as his modern take on London is, it sometimes fails to transfer down to the day-to-day proceedings. When the camera pans to the sky, it is clear to see the cool sci-fi-like world on display, but it serves little purpose besides being easy on the eye at when Izi and Benji are living their lives.
Rapper Cristale is another of the cast to have accompanied Kano in Top Boy and yet it is Arsenal legend Ian Wright whose presence is the biggest surprise. The prevalent goal scorer turned pundit plays Lord Kitchener, whose role as the council estate’s voiceover and DJ helps hammer home the struggle that the residents are up against.
Talking of performances and the fact that this was an acting debut for 14-year-old Jedaiah Bannerman is truly remarkable. Not only was he able to hold his own when sharing the screen with Kano but he was also brilliant and engaging when the lens was solely on him. His dealings with the grief of such a significant loss and his search for a place in the community opened up another lane for the story to develop in this futuristic setting.
As has been previously alluded to, there is a certain amount of tension always bubbling up from under the surface. The film reaches a certain crescendo which sees residents of The Kitchen fight back against the police, and this hits close to home given the volatile state of all corners of the planet currently.
Another interesting battle is more of a metaphorical one, and it takes place between Benji and Izi as the former probes as to the identity of his father. It is assumed that Izi is that man and that is why he makes the compassionate decision to take him under his wing. There is a lot of emotion on display from the youngster throughout the film and we see him come out of his shell in front of our very eyes.
There is some interesting world-building and even with a brief introduction to the characters, the viewer can quickly buy into their respective stories and emotions.
The Verdict
Tavares and Kaluuya’s The Kitchen is a very respectable debut from the pair which is led by a strong couple of performances from Kano and Jedaiah Bannerman. The real-life story doesn’t mesh perfectly with the dystopian world but this is still an enjoyable watch with some interesting social commentary.
The Kitchen is now streaming on Netflix.
Words by Jamie Rooke
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