Nowhere in Africa

Here is a grand epic in the scale of "Gone With the Wind", "Lawrence of Arabia", and "Fitzcarraldo". It is the best movie I've seen this year, and more than that, it was one of the most amazing film experiences of my life.

It is Caroline Link's "Nowhere in Africa", which won the Best Foreign Film Award when, in actuality, it was far better than the Best Picture of the Year. To call it a great or brilliant or majestic film is an understatement; in fact, I'm at a loss for adjectives to describe it.

The film tells the story of a German Jewish woman and her young daughter summoned to Kenya by her husband, circa. 1938. Adolf Hitler is on the brink of declaring his "final solution" of the Jews, and it is with great luck that Jettel and young Regina escape.

In Africa, they adapt slowly to their new rural life. While Regina befriends cook Owuor, Walter and Jettel's relationship threatens to destroy itself because of the hardships the family encounters.

I will not spend too much time going into detail, for watching this masterful story unfold is a treasure in itself. This film is based on an autobiography by Stephanie Zweig, and when it is available in English, I will certainly read it.

Also, the language in this movie is truly beautiful. I saw "Nowhere in Africa" again, just days after watching it for the first time, and spent more time ignoring the subtitles and listening to the beautiful spoken German.

And then there is one scene toward the end that I simply could not believe. It involves a locust invasion, and, quite simply, it was the first time I've ever seen something on the screen and asked myself aloud (as I did the first viewing), "How did they do that?"

The performances here are first-rate, too. Julianne Kohler, who was wonderful in the ultra-weird "Aimee & Junger" is perfect; we understand this woman fully, even when she doesn't speak. Merab Ninidze has some great scenes with Walter, the father; and Sidede Onyulo is simply magical as Owuor.

But the movie belongs to the two girls who play Regina. They look amazingly similar, and they are both stellar. Lea Kurka brings much hope as the adorable young Regina, and Karoline Eckertz is subtle and remarkable as the older Regina, particularly in a heartbreaking exchange with her father at her school.

It would be a shame to miss this film. No, it would be more than a shame. It would be downright wrong and discouraging. This film, along with the wonderful "Whale Rider" are two remarkable international films that bring beauty, grace, and majesty to the screen, and are perfect for adults and older children.

Having just watched one of the most visually stunning and beautifully acted pieces of cinema in my long and varied life, I can only find praise for every facet of this fabulous tale. All of the pieces came together with a genuine and sincere feel for the period and the people. No fair-minded lover of the cinema can fault this production, it is simply right in every category and every magical frame. The only film so far this year to earn a 10/10 from me. Highly recommended and a tribute to ALL those involved.

What a great movie! I really don't know what to praise first: The great acting, the music or the cinematography, everything is really done more than very well! Fortunately the tribal life in rural Kenia is neither glorified as the only and true way of living, nor is it shown with the arrogance of the civilized. Like Regina the audience will soon become a friend of Owuor, the lovely cook of the family. There are enough problems shown in this movie and the Redlichs have to deal with the death of their relatives who stayed in Germany, with more than one crisis in their marriage and several other things. Other directors would have turned this movie into a terrible tear-jerker, but Caroline Link tells the story with such a warm humor, it's really great. Although this movie also shows the beauty of Africa it depicts Kenia in a realistic way. There are enough other movies about Kenia that are full of sunsets and elephants, showing Africa like a postcard - this is not one of them. And nevertheless I wanted to go there right after watching it. If you loved "Jenseits der Stille", you'll also love this movie.

There are lots of movies set in Africa. Few come anywhere close to showing the beauty as this movie does. But it is only a backdrop. The plot is captivating and the acting superb.

Having grown up in Kenya, I found the authenticity to be astounding. The use of appropriate languages was mind-blowing. There was not a word spoken that was in German for the sake of the audience -- If it would have been said in swahili, it was; English, in English.

Few movies make quite the impression on me as this one. I seldom watch movies with subtitles, so it took a bit to get used to it, but I think it was better in German than it would have been if it were dubbed.

Splendid German film (Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film) about a Jewish family who flees to Kenya in 1938, to escape the Nazis. Based on a true story, the plot involves the marginal nature of the Jewish characters in a radically different foreign land, and how they come to terms with the change and even come to love aspects of it. The most heartbreaking aspects of the film involve the arrival of letters from Germany, announcing the imprisonment or death of loved ones who chose to stay. The little girl says, "When a letter comes with that stamp on it, it brings tears." There is excellent acting from the European and African cast.