Week 7: Some Look For Joy, Others Create It

Location: Kampala, Uganda

This week, in comparison to all our other weeks, has been relatively uneventful. That isn’t to say nothing has gone on at all this week, but looking at Week 3: Busabi, Week 5: Rakai, Week 6: Ssese Islands, this week had no excursions. However, we had one of the most wonderful opportunities one could ask for; as a group, Stewart asked us to watch the first biggest film directed and produced by a native Ugandan that was presented at the Berlin Festival.

Imani is a film that intertwines three different stories of common, yet unheard experiences in modern day Uganda. The first talks about a breakdancer with a dark past. He works his way towards performance and inspiration only to be held back by an old childhood rival friend who only looks to cause trouble. The second story goes through the experiences of a Ugandan female maid. Her sister goes to jail after getting into a fight with her husband, forcing the female maid to sell her possessions and perform sexual activities to get enough money to bail her out. Lastly, the final story speaks through the effects of the war up in Gulu, northern Uganda, and its effect on a child soldier who is having a rough homecoming. All these three stories and the presentation of the movie give even those who do not reside in Uganda a real perspective to how the country exists. The presentation, subtle snapshots of the lovely surburban hill side, strong and noisy Kampala city, and the rough and rural life of Uganda all show Uganda at who she really is.

Even though we found it personally amusing and enriching, critics came out to the movie with mixed reviews. There were positive ones, stating one storyline as “this near-silent strand packs quite a punch thanks to its fully controlled, understated perfs and reliance on the power of the unspoken”. But there were completely negative responses asserting the film as “A disappointingly conventional choice for a Berlinale section designed to showcase innovation and risk-taking, Imani is essentially a trio of shorts chopped together into a feature.” This same critic does make some strong judgments that I do believe as well. The abrupt termination of the project refuses to bring a climax and leaves you wondering how many of the stories actually ended. Each character wasn’t fully developed or explained so it was hard to understand at certain points what each was going through. Even so, the general public on forums praised this movie as inspirational, presenting this moving as “one ready for open minds and looking for something different”.

Afterwards, we got an opportunity of a lifetime to meet with the director and screen writer of the movie (sisters). We had a discussion about the movie, ideas we found interesting, and criticisms we may have had. Out of this whole experience, there was a question that came across about the reason they made the movie, and the director, Caroline, responds “I just wanted to tell three stories”. That hit me as unusual, yet very satisfying. Uganda is in a situation, I believe, in which the stories really need to be told. In the news, you usually hear about the political turmoil, landslides, poverty, and low incomes leading to a lower standard of living. However, people don’t really get a chance to see how people live. You hear statistics, deaths, and the end result, but no one ever gets to hear the process and story behind the situation. That is why this movie was through-provoking and very understanding. It provides the truth behind what people don’t realize and brings Uganda into the perspective of the world. From the boda bodas, to the rural life, and the suburban screen shots of Uganda, the movie is realistic and eye-opening. Besides the release in Kampala, there will be further releases in Seattle, D.C. as well as cities in Canada, in which I highly recommend people go to theaters and watch.

References:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/imani-film-review-1004067088.story
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117942154.html?categoryid=31&cs=1