Rafiki

I just thought it was great, it held my attention all the way through, lack of budget and Hollywood stars wasn't an issue at all, I even since learnt one of the main characters never acted before in her life so that was a total shock to me.

The director did really well to seek out the right talent she needed for this movie, in a way I feel that is what makes this film even more authentic, real Africans telling their own stories.

It's a real shame Kenya banned the movie but the band was lifted for 7 days in thos 7 days it sold out completely.

I really do feel if this movie gets the support it deserves and maybe win some awards they will have no choice but to lift the ban in kenya and hopefully change some of their laws in regards to freedom of expression.

Lets remember this is an African production so look beyond the occasional lack of big budget filming. This film has a great story and keeps you watching until the end which is more than can be said for many Hollywood movies. Kudos to all involved and the fact Kenyan authorities have chosen to ban it suggests they fear how good this films moral lessons actually is.

"Growing up, I saw everybody else fall in love. I saw Europeans fall in love. I saw Americans continuously fall in love. But I never saw Africans fall in love. I saw Africans procreate. I saw Africans affected by HIV and AIDS, but those weren't love stories. And so more than anything, I wanted to add a love story to African film history, and that's why I made Rafiki." -- Director Wanuri Kahiu

A touching story of two young women who fall in love in homophobic Kenya, a place where it can get you beat up by a mob or imprisoned. There is a lot to like about the beautiful leads (Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva) and the dazzling colors on display in scene after scene, but my favorite part of the film was how it portrayed the tenderness of love. There is a sweetness to it that's undeniable, and cuts across any culture or orientation. Just a lovely film.

"Rafiki" is a lovely picture: colorful, kinetic, well-scored and about a blossoming young romance. It makes the already-repugnant plot turn to the homophobic reaction of the bigots in Nairobi all the more disheartening. There's hardly any doubt as to the human rights abuses that the movie condemns, either, as "Rafiki" was only allowed to be screened in Kenya to qualify for Oscar contention before promptly returning to being banned. But, religious and societal bigotry aren't what this picture is mostly about, nor is it the rather poorly-developed political division between the young women's two families, with its flickering semblance of feuding Montagues and Capulets. It's a love story, relatively brief and brisk, and it need not be more.

The romantic leads are likable, but the real highlights of "Rafiki" are the color schemes and production design. From the striking clothing of citizens and Ziki's braided hair, to the muted pastels of the couple's more intimate scenes, this is full of bold compositions. I also like the use of music, from the opening credits sequence played over "Suzie Noma," which sets the stage for Ziki and her circle's dancing throughout. All of which, too, stands in stark contrast to the conservatism of others in a place here that is celebrated for freedom of movement, with not only Ziki's dancing, but also the traveling of streets whether by Kena's skateboard or Blacksta's motorcycle, as well as the football, and one colored like a rainbow, which is surely no coincidence given that gay pride is represented by the rainbow flag.

I can see this quickly becoming a modern lesbian Romeo and Juliet story, and the more African films in the public eye the better.