Massaï - Les guerriers de la pluie

As poor as my French is, I understood only about one-third of the dialog, and I still found this film enthralling. A heroic journey is undertaken by a group of young Masai warriors in an attempt to save their village from drought and death. They encounter dangers from nature and man along the way.

One of the most intriguing aspects to me is that there are surprising characteristics that emerge among the warriors, and the heroes are not who you might expect.

The film also has a highly authentic look to it. I have lived in Africa for several years and always cringe at the way village life is prettied- up in so many films; there is little of that here (but neither is it gratuitously gory).

I will definitely watch it again (hopefully with subtitles next time).

The chief warrior of a Masai village is found dead on the savanna, from a lion attack. A drought ensues and the land, animals, and villagers are dying. The elders decide that the best way to bring the rain back is to send warriors to kill god's lion and bring back the mane. But the only warrior is an old, infirm man. Nine of the "boys", the males in their late teens and early twenties, are "men" and know nothing of the hunt.

The boys leave to hunt and kill the lion. They are attacked by a belligerent tribe, fall victim to hunger and thirst, and two of the group end up wounded. In their wanderings, they are saved by a tribe and eventually find the lion.

It is a bittersweet story showing the changes in people as they mature into their roles in their society. Some people mature into a role no one thinks they are suited for.

Definitely worth a second and third screening.