Hi everyone!
Full disclosure. I watched this film with Amy last weekend, and I gotta say, I really loved it, so much so that I’m a little jealous not to review it. However, One Movie Spouse has a lot to say about the film, so let me just say that you should check out this film at your earliest convenience, streaming on Netflix. And then check out “Doctor Strange” (Episode #092) and “Come Sunday” (Episode #104) for a couple other Chiwetel Ejiofor films.
Take it away, Amy!
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It’s me Amy, aka One Movie Spouse, back for my second review this week. That’s a new record! Mmmmmmwwwwah! Today’s film resonates with me. It involves some real “out of the box thinking” to resolve a community crisis. I love seeing young people show us the way with new ideas, designs, and solutions to tackle our common issues. You can find me on Twitter: @BriteWhen and we can chat about films or you can see what else I am up when I am not busy as a spouse-mother-educator.
Today’s movie is “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” (2019), the debut feature film directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor and written for the screen with the man who lived the story, William Kamkwamba. Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba (Maxwell Simba), struggling during a nationwide famine during the mid-2000s in Malawi, who believes he has a solution to survive the famine.
No spoilers!
In his directorial debut, Chiwetel Ejiofor does a phenomenal job both in front of and behind the camera. Behind the camera, Ejiofor was able to film in Malawi, despite some investor concerns, introducing us to Wimbe, a small village near Kasungu, among other locations throughout the country. With quality direction, he brings the viewer back to the conditions just before the widespread famine of the early 2000s, with the country on the brink of political unrest. As the famine spreads and intensifies, we watch families torn apart, difficulties with growing, and the desperation of starving people. In front the camera, Ejiofor plays William’s father Trywell, who struggles and sacrifices to find the right path forward, no longer able to rely on the systems failing around him.
The real hero, however, is William, tinkering with radios and other scraps, excited to discover how science and technology works at the local school, to help solve problems around the village. As the famine progresses, and their situation deteriorates, he has to drop out of school, but continues learning at the school library while helping his family find enough food to survive. One particular scene that left me breathless was William escaping a riot at a food distribution center, when so many were starving. Maxwell Simba does an excellent job capturing the curiosity, the wonder, the fear, the struggles, and the successes of William and his story.
The relationship between William and his father represents so many great themes. It is a story of how parents want what’s best for their children and to have the opportunities they might not have had. It is also a story of how children come of age and the difficulty of parents letting go. And it is also a story about the older generation yielding to newer generations, as Trywell struggles to believe in William’s windmill, wanting instead to rely on his traditional approaches. It all leads to the moment when William’s triumph as he does harness the wind to save their village from starvation. As a parent and an educator, I recognize the need for today’s young people to bring forward innovative ideas, especially as we face the global issues of climate change and resource allocation. We will need dreamers, designers, and innovators to make real change, just as William did, and this film does a great, if somewhat predictable job of telling his story.
“The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” is a visually stunning debut for Chiwetel Ejiofor, that demonstrates ingenuity in the face of adversity. Maxwell Simba guides us as a young William on his quest to solve his problem. The film is recommended for fans of heartwarming films, and all of today’s dreamers, designers, and inventors. Especially the younger ones.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%(CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 68
One Movie Punch: 8.0/10
“The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” (2019) is rated TV-14and is currently playing on Netflix.
