With acclaimed performances in Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah, Nope, and more, it didn’t take long for Daniel Kaluuya to show he’s one of today’s strongest actors. Could he be just as effective as a filmmaker? We’re about to find out, as Kaluuya’s directorial debut, The Kitchen, is coming to Netflix next month.
Kaluuya’s debut is a dystopian sci-fi film set in a future London where the wealth gap has been stretched to the breaking point. The have-nots are relegated to a community called The Kitchen, where we follow two people struggling against a system that is stacked against them.
The film marks Kaluuya’s directorial debut, but he’s not alone. He co-directs alongside Kibwe Tavares, and co-wrote the script with Joe Murtagh. Kaluuya also produces the film, and it’s clear this is a story he has strong feelings about.
Leading the cast is Kane Robinson, joined by Jedaiah Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jr, Ian Wright, BackRoad Gee, Cristale, Teija Kabs, and Demmy Ladipo.
Here’s the synopsis: In a dystopian London, 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 here 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.
The Kitchen hits Netflix on January 19th 2024.