Daniel Kaluuya’s The Kitchen blends Top Boy with early age Blade Runner in unnerving first Netflix trailer
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The first trailer forThe Kitchenhas landed online, and it looks like an unsettlingTop BoymeetsBlade Runner-esque Netflix movie with plenty to say thematically.
Co-written by Daniel Kaluuya (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,Nope), Rob Hayes, and Joe Murtagh, one of Netflix’s early 2024 film offerings paints a creative but believably chilling picture of a near-future dystopian London where the divide between rich and poor has grown ever larger. Predictably, that sets the stage for urban-style class warfare and the uncomfortable sociopolitical issues it creates.
Kaluuya, who is one of the brightest creative minds to emerge from the UK in recent years, co-directedThe Kitchenalongside Kibwe Tavares (Time Machine,Robots of Brixton). The duo are making their filmmaking debuts with the Netflix Original, too, and the flick, which was a decade in the making, has already received glowing reviews ahead of itsNetflixrelease.
Following its world premiere at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival,The Kitchenis sitting on an 83% score onRotten Tomatoes– albeit from just 18 reviews – which suggests it’ll make for an emotionally-charged, neofuturistic movie when it arrives on the world’sbest streaming service.
For anyone looking for more information on its plot, here are some specifics, courtesy of a Netflix press blast: “Set in a dystopian London (but one within reach, around 20 years down the track), the gap between rich and poor has been stretched to its limits. All forms of social housing have been eradicated and only ‘The Kitchen’ remains – a community that refuses to move out of the place they call home.
“This is where we meet a solitary Izi, living in The Kitchen by necessity and desperately trying to find a way out, and a 12-year-old Benji, who has lost his mother and is searching for a family. We follow our unlikely pair as they struggle to forge a relationship in a system that is stacked against them.”
Kane Robinson (otherwise known by his rapper handle Kano), who portrayed fan-favoriteTop Boycharacter Sully during its five-season run, stars as Izi. Newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman will also play Benji in a story positioned, in Netflix’s eyes, as “a film about community, inequality, family, class, joy, resilience, courage, defiance, and care in London – and communities around the globe”.
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Kaluuya is joined by fellow esteemed actor Michael Fassbender among the film’s executive team, while acclaimed British rapper/music producer Labrinth created the flick’s original score alongside Alex Baranowski (Staged,Rain Dogs) for one of early 2024’s most anticipatednew Netflix movies.
WillThe Kitchenbe an early frontrunner for inclusion in ourbest Netflix moviesguide? It certainly seems like it’ll make a case for itself very soon, withThe Kitchenset to launch exclusively on Netflix on January 19, 2024. It’s also getting a limited theatrical run in select UK theaters from January 12.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
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