When Londoners get together the conversation inevitably turns to how the city ‘ain't what it used to be’. The evidence provided usually includes house prices, the Circle Line and the gentrification of Brixton. Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya is no exception and asks Total Film, ‘What happened to King's Cross?!’ The Camden native shakes his head and continues, ‘I grew up right up the road, and it's been drained of its nuance, intricacies and identity. They made it generic to impress people coming off the Eurostar.’
Kaluuya has co-written and codirected the dystopian thriller , which takes place in a near-future London where social housing is outlawed. Most of the city is a pristine, bland nightmare devoid of messy humanity, but The Kitchen estate has endured despite the government's best efforts. Kaluuya's co-director (and fellow Londoner) Kibwe Tavares explains, ‘London's like all these villages that are stuck together. And in our world, all of those have been eradicated, and The Kitchen is London's last