One of the best sci-fi movies of recent years is on Netflix now

Directed by an Oscar-winner, the film is set in a near-future London and features a football icon in a great supporting role.

Co-directed by Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah, Nope), alongside Kibwe Tavares, the film is set in London in the year 2044, where the gap between the rich and poor has been stretched to its limits.

All forms of social housing have been eradicated, with London’s working classes forced to live in temporary accommodation on the outskirts of the city.

One of these housing blocks, dubbed The Kitchen, is set to be demolished. Despite being ordered to leave, however, its occupants refuse to move out of the place they call home.

Watch the trailer for The Kitchen right here:

"It’s here we meet Izi (Kane Robinson, Top Boy), a resident of The Kitchen who is desperately trying to find a way out and 12-year-old Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), who has lost his mother and is searching for a family," the plot synopsis adds.

"We follow our unlikely pair as they battle to survive in a system that is stacked against them."

Also featuring former footballer and media pundit Ian Wright in a great supporting role, The Kitchen premiered at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival in 2023 to acclaim.

This is thanks to the way it uses the sci-fi genre to explore contemporary issues, as well as its heartfelt story, its soulful performances, and its subtle, stylishly realised vision of the future.

Currently holding an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes, here is a sample of some of the glowing reviews the movie has earned from critics:

Associated Press: "A well-executed film about a familiar kind of urban dystopian nightmare."

Chicago Sun-Times: "Bleak and often beautiful..."

Little White Lies: "A very robust debut that lingers in your mind after."

The Observer: "Kaluuya and Tavares aren’t interested in sentimentality. Instead, the film serves as a haunting 'what if' scenario, offering viewers a glimpse of a possible future."

Rolling Stone: "While it runs you through the gamut of emotions, you’ll end up full of warmth while also unmistakably concerned. It will also leave you pondering one other question: Is there anything Daniel Kaluuya can’t do?"

Variety: "An intimate, humane study of Black male bonding in a time of systemic social oppression."

The Kitchen is streaming on Netflix now.