Netflix’s The Kitchen Delivers Sci-Fi Thriller Tension In Awesome Reveal

By Britta DeVore | Published

the kitchen

All dystopian hell is breaking loose in the first trailer for Daniel Kaluuya’s feature-length directorial project, The Kitchen.

Coming to Netflix on January 12, 2024, the title will take audiences into a broken-down London, revealing what humanity has come to after the world as we know it completely crumbles.

The Kitchen will stream on Netflix starting January 12, 2024

Starring rapper and actor Kane Robinson (Top Boy) and introducing Jedaiah Bannerman in his breakthrough performance, the trailer promises that the film will pull on the audience’s heartstrings as they watch the main characters fight for their right to life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgT5cEV5Qt0

The trailer for The Kitchen introduces us to Robinson’s Izi, a man living in the last piece of social housing, known to locals as the Kitchen. A place for those who are down and out, the building is a frequent stop for police looking for trouble and residents who have no choice but to turn on one another for survival purposes.

The Kitchen introduces us to Robinson’s Izi, a man living in the last piece of social housing, known to locals as the Kitchen

The opening moments of the teaser reveal that there’s also a humanity shared between the downtrodden who call the Kitchen home, as people viewed as criminals steal from the rich and redistribute the wealth to the poor. 

Izi is one of those men who’s been seen as a criminal in the past. The ex-con has just come home after being let out of jail and discovers that he’s left a son (Bannerman) behind, unknowingly leaving the boy to fend for himself in the Kitchen after his mother passed away.

Wanting to do right by his child, make up for the years they were separated, and also earn himself a better life, Izi is willing to do anything in his power to provide safety and security for himself and his son.

With a familiar face having performed in front of the screen in titles including the Black Panther franchise, Judas and the Black Messiah, Get Out, and Nope, The Kitchen marks Daniel Kaluuya’s first foray into filmmaking.

The Kitchen marks Daniel Kaluuya’s first foray into filmmaking

He’s joined by co-director Kibwe Tavares, for whom the title also serves as a feature-length debut. In the past, Tavares has helmed such shorts as Robots of Brixton and Time Machine

The sci-fi flick is already meeting mostly positive reviews following its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival back in October. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Kitchen has so far cooked up a score of 83%, with critics praising the film’s plot, character development, and stars.

Daniel Kaluuya directed and also penned the film’s script alongside Rob Hayes and Joe Murtagh, basing the story off a conversation Kaluuya, Tavares, and producer Daniel Emmerson had in a barbershop – where all great ideas are born.

Along with The Kitchen, Netflix has a slew of other highly-anticipated films arriving over the next year. Kicking things off with a bang, January not only sees the arrival of The Kitchen, but will also welcome other titles, including Good Grief, Lift, and Society of the Snow.

The rest of the year will usher in plenty of other content, including the Millie Bobby Brown-led fantasy flick Damsel, Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon: Part Two: The Scargiver, Joe and Anthony Russo’s The Electric State, and Eddie Murphy’s return to his fan-favorite role in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.