Dystopian visions of near-future cities can tell us a lot about who we are now, while also warning us of what’s to come.In films by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya kitchenThe story takes place not far away in London, where the forces of privatization threaten the last independent communities.
In this complex and compelling vision, community proves an incredibly powerful force against this oppression. Gentrification has almost won out. Police violence ensured victory. But there is one last bastion of resistance, the community known as The Kitchen, where residents cling to their homes on the south bank of the Thames.
Trailer for Daniel Kaluuya’s ‘Kitchen’ explores inequality in dystopian London
and his directorial debut kitchenKaluuya co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Murtagh (woman in wall, Be calm with the horse), which blends elements of social realism and science fiction to delve deeply into social politics, inequality, grief and family through the protagonist Izi (top boy Stars Kane Robinson and Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman).
A poignant and poignant prediction of the future of capitalism as it erodes individualism, kitchen It feels like a cautionary tale, a parable about where cities like London are headed. This is not some absurd hypothesis, but a terrible premonition that makes people feel like they are not of this world. Although the film is set in London, as the marketing slogan reminds us, “every city has its own kitchen.”
what is kitchen about?
Image source: Netflix
Tavares and Kaluuya, who both grew up in London, describe the film as “a love letter to our city.” Located in the heart of England’s capital, kitchen Taking advantage of the city’s Brutalist, monochromatic architecture, it creates a futuristic feel (although The Kitchen’s exterior is actually that of the Damiers de Dauphiné in Paris). The film is deliberately undated, but seems uncomfortably close to our lives now. In this future, the gap between rich and poor will become even wider. Practical yet luxurious private developments dominate the skyline; social housing has been all but eliminated, forcing people to queue up for expensive, cookie-cutter apartments with no other choice.
Kitchens are poorly resourced and instead reserved for these affluent developments, while brutal police raids on this so-called “private property” are constant – all monitored by a fleet of hovering police drones. Yet in a crowded marketplace of neon lights, restaurants and scaffolding, the kitchen remains a stronghold of resistance, organically maintaining humanity, self-expression and creativity as the rest of this homogeneous, sterile city might Devour it. all.
Izi is working hard at a funeral home, hoping to one day leave The Kitchen, when he meets 12-year-old Benji, who is mourning his mother and struggling to find a sense of family.Playing a gentler character than the one he is famous for top boy On the run, Robinson imbues Izzy with a lonely determination, unsettled only by his new connection with the stoic but occasionally cheeky Benji, played to perfection by newcomer Bannerman.Robinson and Bannerman’s chemistry developed organically; according to rolling stonesThe film was shot in chronological order to assist this gradual process, and Kaluuya encouraged his protagonists to improvise as much as possible. Benji and Izi share the experience of being forced into independence by circumstance, developing their relationship despite the constant threat of attack and Benji’s attraction to the younger, more active political team led by Stapes (top boyHope Ikpoku Jnr).
kitchen Achieving a dystopian future rooted in reality
Image source: Netflix
Technology is kitchen Isn’t it all hoverboards and science fiction drama? Whether it’s through holographic store signs, AR barbershop tools, or smart mirrors that display email and health status, it’s integrating more subtly into the city. blade runner, this is not.However, like blade runnerThe exotic technology of future London is mainly used for two things: advertising and repressive, targeted policing. Police drones circle the skyline, spying on the residents of the kitchen – though they’re no match for the slingshots of Stample’s crew.
Inside The Kitchen, while technological advancements are integrated into residents’ homes and businesses, it’s older forms of technology that define the community’s sense of belonging, from underground discotheques to Lord Kitchener’s vinyl pirate radio broadcasts (more on that here later).However, unlike other futuristic dramas such as Ben Wheatley’s 2015 adaptation of JG Ballard’s high-riseRather than tearing each other apart, members of the kitchen community are united in their efforts to stay in their homes, no matter how dilapidated they are.
It’s worth noting that, unlike most dystopian movies, kitchen Focusing the black experience in the near future; the predominantly black “kitchen” neighborhood is regularly attacked by violent white police officers who ruthlessly drag people from their homes.it is rarity of the typethere are only a handful of movies like this satire Sorry to bother you Foregrounding and projecting future contexts for black characters that stem directly from our current reality.
kitchen brought together by community
Image credit: Hugues Lawson-Body/Netflix
Although the core narrative kitchen Centered on Benji’s adolescent grief and Izzy’s sudden sense of fatherly responsibility, the film is largely an ode to joy and resilience in the face of ongoing dehumanization.
In the face of well-funded authorities, the residents of the Kitchen struggle to keep their homes and businesses independent of the city’s corporate overlords. They are linked daily through the lively pirate radio broadcasts of the elusive Lord Kitchener (former Arsenal footballer Ian Wright, whose brilliant role pays homage to the Trinidadian calypso legend). He provides important community updates, birthday information, marriage proposal news and tips for canceling food deliveries, reminding residents to only take what they need and support each other. “They can’t stop us. They can only stop us if we see who we are,” he preached before public speakers.
Lord Kitchener is not only a great voice for the community but also an omnipresent glue for the film itself, drawing on a strong vinyl collection to deliver kitchennarrative soundtrack. While the streets of London are in conservative silence, The Kitchen is alive with music – Alhaji K. Frimpong, Fela Kuti, Salvatore Adamo, Champaign, Kofi Nti, Ofori Amponsah and Barosky in various settings through the neighbours’ old speakers It flourishes in every scene, thank God for that. Kitchener’s coveted directory. This collective resistance through music is also present in other settings, including a joyful underground roller derby club – a highlight of the film.
In the same sense, collective voices define danger kitchen. The clanking of pots and pans signals the arrival of the police and becomes an eerie constant presence. Scenes of police brutality have torn the kitchen community apart, leaving friends, neighbors, mothers and fathers indifferent. “Remember, they ordered us to leave and we said, ‘No. This is our home. We’re not going anywhere,'” Lord Kitchener broadcast after the raid. “They cut off our water, they cut off our supply, and we said, ‘No. Fuck you. We can’t go anywhere.’ Now, the target is us.”
With strong performances and astute world-building, Tavares and Kaluuya have created a truly engaging, realistic dystopian film that doesn’t lose sight of our present. kitchen It serves as both a cautionary tale and a mirror, reflecting London’s past while denouncing its gentrifying future.
How to watch: kitchen The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix.
