I would describe The Kitchen as pre-cyberpunk or cyberpunk-lite. It’s very close to taking place in a cyberpunk world, but set maybe 5-10 years before the world truly turns cyberpunk.

The main character lives in a slum in London. That slum is 100% a cyberpunk setting. Futuristic advertisements everywhere, horrible poverty, yet access to various scifi technology. However, as soon as the main character leaves the slum, it’s only a near-future world. The main character has an entry-level position and is saving money to afford a one-bedroom apartment and leave the slum. The very fact that an entry-level position can allow for vertical social mobility tells me this isn’t quite a cyberpunk world.

The plot of the movie is this guy, who has been taught repeatedly his entire life to only look out for himself, learns an old acquaintance has died. That acquaintance has left behind a son who is now all alone. So he’s torn between not wanting the kid to be alone while also not truly wanting to trust or protect this kid. You’d think over the course of the movie he’d learn to love the kid and then there’d be this big moment of self-sacrifice at the end, but that isn’t where the movie goes.

If anything, this movie feels more “slice of life” because very few plot threads are even resolved. If this was an extended pilot to a new series I’d be interested in watching more. But having the movie end where it does just leaves me wondering why I even bothered watching it. I’m not a fan of “slice of life” stories though so that probably says more about me than the movie. Overall, the movie is good, I just wish it had a better-defined beginning, middle, and end.

You can watch it now on Netflix.