Opinion: The Kitchen (2024)

I was excited about The Kitchen when I saw the trailer. It is a dystopian setting, dystopian London to be exact which is exciting to me as a Londoner. Aesthetically, it is very futuristic and there are various elements/concepts that capture the eye. Overall, it is a strong directorial debut for Daniel Kaluuya.  

It was nice to see Ian Wright in the movie. Being Lord Kitchener, the voice of The Kitchen, he had a strong role to play in the movie which was a pleasant surprise given that it was his first acting role. Much like the actor himself, a strong presence on our TV screens, you get the sense that Lord Kitchener is the heart and soul of The Kitchen.

There are a number of residents of The Kitchen that potentially would have backstories which could have been explored. This includes the backstory of The Kitchen itself. We see militarised authorities forcibly removing residents, residents struggling with resources and we know that The Kitchen exists because social housing is not an option in the setting and it is a neglected environment.

In my opinion, not taking a ‘past’ and ‘present’ approach to telling the story may be intentional. It does feel much more impactful to just be thrown into the chaos as an audience member. It is also reflective of the nature of gentrification and its consequences.

Housing inequality is an important issue which is not spoken about enough in the arts even though it is the perfect platform to get a message across to a large number of people. I think many people will appreciate the thought that went into this movie.

It might not be the movie for you if you want a developed plot with various subplots or lengthy dramatic dialogue but it is worth a watch. I did expect more from the plot and character development but it is a short movie and regardless of this it does manage to get the message across.