The Kitchen

The Kitchen is a dystopian drama that follows the lives of Izi, a funeral home worker, and Benji, a young boy he mentors, as they struggle to survive in a bleak urban environment of some unexplained future. The movie attempts to create a futuristic setting, but fails to integrate it into the story or explore its implications. The movie also suffers from a lack of direction, character development, and dialogue, leaving the audience detached and dissatisfied. The only redeeming quality of the movie is the performance of Hope Ikpoku Jnr as Staples, a charismatic gang leader who steals every scene he is in. Overall, "The Kitchen" is a disappointing and boring movie that wastes its potential and its cast and it is another brick in the Netflix collection of trash.

The movie opens with a scene of a group of kids on motorbikes robbing a food truck and bringing it back to their community, known as the Kitchen. The movie never explains why the Kitchen is in such a state of poverty and oppression, or why the police are trying to evict its residents. The movie also never shows how the futuristic elements, such as high-tech messages on the mirror or holographic advertisements, affect the lives of the characters or the society. The movie seems to use these elements as mere props, without any meaningful connection to the plot or the themes, basically Sci-Fi sells so we should throw some of that in sort of feeling.

The movie then introduces us to Izi, who works at a funeral home and dreams of escaping the Kitchen and finding a better place to live. He meets Benji, a young boy who has lost his parents and is living on the streets. Izi takes Benji under his wing and tries to teach him how to survive in the harsh reality of the Kitchen. The movie tries to portray the bond between Izi and Benji, but fails to make us care about them or their struggles. The movie does not give us any insight into their personalities, backgrounds, or motivations. The movie also does not show us how they grow or change as a result of their experiences. Some other characters, such as "Lord Kitchen", a mysterious figure who broadcasts music and messages to the Kitchen, also fails to attach any explanation or add any value to the story.

The movie ends with a vague and unsatisfying conclusion, that leaves many questions unanswered and many conflicts unresolved. The movie does not explain what happens to the Kitchen, or to Izi and Benji, or to the other characters we met along the way. The movie does not offer any message or lesson, or any reason to watch it in the first place. It is a poorly executed and poorly written movie, that does not deliver on any of the promises it makes. It is not a sci-fi movie, nor a drama movie, nor a good movie. It is a waste of time and money, and a disappointment to anyone who expects more from cinema.

I doubt that anybody who is not a friend of the production will give this movie anything over a '5'. I am giving this a '4' as I was tempted to stop watching it several times throughout, and I'm sure you will too.

When you watch this movie for the very first time, you will soon realize that you are facing a very bizarre but brilliant atmosphere . Somewhere is London possibly but in the future.

The Idea of this movie is quite attractive, it will engage your mind and your guts in a very emotional way and it tells a story about people's challenges and difficulties as n a different era, it is future and people are changed but not in a good way except technology.

However, it is a shame the director of this movie was not able to deliver the same quality of the initial idea . It is the shame that the DOP work was disastrous, lack of stage direction, lack of right camera movement, incorrect framing , lack of actors direction and not even a good engaging editing . This movie could have been positioned one of the top 30 movies in the world , this movie could have been compared with blade runner at some point but the movie director wasn't chosen wisely and did destroy the whole work.

Finally the production design team did a very good job and it was right for purpose of this movie.

The Kitchen portrays a destitute community grappling with eviction and poverty, with the protagonist, Izi, employed at a funeral home. It is here that he encounters Benji and takes him under his wing. Izi's aspiration is to transcend the challenges of the Kitchen and secure a more promising dwelling, and the film delves into the evolving dynamics of Izi and Benji's relationship.

Despite its dystopian backdrop, the movie's futuristic elements predominantly influence its visual aesthetics rather than substantively shaping the narrative. Without these futuristic elements, it could easily have been an episode on Top Boy.

Throughout the film, the lack of a cohesive direction leaves viewers disconnected from the characters. The conclusion, in particular, proves to be notably unsatisfying, offering little resolution to pivotal events that transpired earlier.

Jedaiah Bannerman's portrayal of Benji suffers from lackluster acting, exacerbated by dialogue that comes across as uninspired. In contrast, Hope Ikpoku Jnr, in the role of Staples, stands out as the one actor who excels within the constraints of limited screen time.

Regrettably, the film falls short of expectations, and it is hoped that both the director and the writers can refine their storytelling skills to deliver a more engaging cinematic experience in the future.

The Kitchen is a black ghetto in a dystopian near-future London. Izi works in a futurist funeral home where the dead are turned into plant food. Each family is given a plant which will be used in reforesting. Benji is a 12 year old saying goodbye to his mother. Izi recognizes her and stops to attend the funeral. With no family left, Benji believes that Izi is his long absent father, but Izi insists that he's not.

This sets up an interesting world and an interesting budding relationship. It does leave me a little cold. It's a bit too slow. I want the plot to do more. It's a debut indie for many involved. I see potential in these actors and filmmakers.

How frustrating was this! It had potential but it couldn't decide what it was. If you want to produce a character led drama, then invest in your script and your actors. It ain't no ''Children of Men'.

It didn't move me, nor excite me with anything. It just kept teasing me with what could have been. The characters were obvious and lack less, but that's not saying the performances weren't adequate. If only they were given more to work with.

It's a shame as Channel 4 has given us, over the years, some amazing films but I'm afraid, this lacked the grittiness of past productions. Nice idea, shame about the script and direction.