The Kitchen
2023 · Directed by Kibwe Tavares, Daniel Kaluuya
Original language: English
- science fiction
- thriller
- drama
- adventure
- comedy
The story
Izi's close to escaping The Kitchen, one of London's last remaining housing estates. But when young Benji enters his life, he faces some hard decisions.
What it’s like
Grey concrete towers under flat, overcast daylight, with the estate's walkways and stairwells rendered in a washed-out, low-saturation palette that makes the future feel tired rather than gleaming. The camera stays close and observant, often handheld in tight corridors and crowded lifts, then pulls back to wide, rain-slicked views of a half-demolished skyline. Sound does a lot of the work: the hum of failing machinery, distant traffic, bass leaking through thin walls, with the score lean and synthetic, pulsing quietly under scenes rather than swelling. Its vibe is bleak but humane, a gritty urban-decay drama with flashes of wry, streetwise humour and a restless undercurrent of tension. It suits a late-night watch when you want something sober and textured rather than escapist. Pacing is steady and unhurried in its quieter stretches and sharper when trouble arrives. The emotional register is understated; the central relationship is a young boy and an older figure slowly testing whether trust and loyalty can survive a place built to grind them down. Violence is present and can be sudden and harsh, with moments of physical threat and a few brutal confrontations, though it stops short of gore. Intended for viewers drawn to socially grounded sci-fi, London-set realism, and coming-of-age stories shaped by hard choices.
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