NAÏVE, BUT SCARY

FOTO: www.slantmagazine.com

Customs are different from culture to culture. Vaginal mutilation of the young women in African Islamic societies that represents the main subject of Senegali ”Moolaade” will come as a shock to Westerners, as well as the constant reminder of how important and difficult the fight for the rights of women was significant and hard in the past centuries.

Despite the harshness of the script layout, overall acting and depiction is somehow diminished by the naïve and unnecessary serenity of the self-taught protagonists.

”Moolaade” is one of those flicks where the subject is more important than the movie as a whole.

MOOLAADE - 4/10

HALF WAY THERE

FOTO: startjournal.org

Africa is called the ”dark continent” and movies like ”Nairobi: Half life” is one of the reasons for that. To be clear from the start, this has nothing to do with the color of the predominant race that inhabits it.

Crime, drugs, brutal murders and omnipresent stealing are the main reason why most Westerns have the aversion when it comes to visiting Africa. This flick won’t help them change their minds, despite occasional humor from the main actor (Joseph Wairimu).

”Nairobi: Half life” is another brutal depiction of Africa’s grim lifestyle, spiced up with some decent acting and a dash of hope at its very end.

NAIROBI: HALF LIFE - 5/10

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

FOTO: 2.bp.blogspot.com

AIDS was a significant subject in cinematography ever since the wicked disease went public in the late 1980’s. Over the decades, it has also given the much needed and deserved recognition for some great (Tom Hanks) and some not so great film workers (Matthew McCounaghey).

South African ''Yesterday'' wasn’t that lucky, reaching only as far as foreign-language movie nom at ”Oscars” in 2004. This is truly a shame, because it is a great real-life drama and a harsh presentation of Zulu province, one of the most AIDS ravished areas in the world.

The story revolves around the young HIV-positive mother Yesterday (Leleti Khumalo) and her fight against the poverty, lack of medical, family and support from her local community. That fight is hard and dangerous, but Leleti manages to give us the hope that there is tomorrow after the yesterday and today.

”Yesterday” is a great and heart-moving drama with some astounding photography from Kwa-Zulu Natal province.

YESTERDAY – 7/10