The Kitchen

Available on Netflix

It’s long been known that Daniel Kaluuya is one of the finest actors around, but The Kitchen posits the question of whether he has the makings of a great director. The answer, as is so often the case with directorial debuts, is unclear. Co-directed by Kibwe Tavares, this picture is socially conscious sci-fi that uses the relationship between a father (Kane Robinson) and his estranged son (Jedaiah Bannerman) to examine the ongoing gentrification of London.

The natural chemistry between Robinson and Bannerman ensures that The Kitchen always holds your attention, but its underdeveloped screenplay is filled with too many unanswered questions for the film to ever be more than the sum of its parts. Likewise, its futuristic setting - which is clearly indebted to reference points such as Black Mirror and Blade Runner - is more of a distraction than anything else, with the central narrative not emboldened by it in any obvious way.

Nonetheless, there is lived experience and sincerity at the heart of The Kitchen, which suggests that both Kaluuya and Tavares have the makings of fine filmmakers, while Bannerman’s performance points him out as a rising star.