Film Review of Nairobi Half Life

David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga’s NairobiHalfLife is a ninety-six minute Kenyan drama film. An aspiring actor from the outskirts of Kenya wants to pursue a successful career in the large city of Nairobi. The young Mwas believes Nairobi will lead him to various opportunities in order to achieve his acting dreams that upcountry Kenya lacks. At the start of Mwas journey in the city, he quickly encounters crime and is robbed of all his belongings, which leads him to being falsely imprisoned. Mwas quickly develops friendship with a group of gang members and undertakes in criminal activities while still trying to follow his dream of being a prosperous actor at the Phoenix Theater. Mwas struggles to balance the two separate lives he has established in Nairobi as they become intertwined in the films climax. The film, NairobiHalfLife, is entertaining because it realistically portrays the different lifestyles and neighborhoods located in Nairobi which helps enhance the plot.

As a result of the lack of prior knowledge about Nairobi, the film displays the city in a negative manner. Mwas, being a naïve tourist, is immediately taken advantage of. The bystanders of the thieves ignore the situation by turning a blind eye or even worse, undertakes in the crime in broad daylight. In the film, committing acts of crime is viewed as an acceptable behavior in Nairobi’s community. The law enforcement of Nairobi also engages in the corruption by collecting cuts of profit from the gang members and fabricating evidence. The plot of the film is enhanced by the de-emphasis of harsh subjects. Gitonga does not idealize the poverty and violence of the city, neither does he capitalize on the people living in these streets. Nairobi Half Life depicts scenes of carjacking, corruption, prostitution, and murder, but does not glamorize these actions, reflecting the reality of its inhabitants. The violence in city of Nairobi acts as a subtle background, it does not dominate the main plot of the film, Mwas pursuit to become an actor. However, Nairobi is not ultimately depicted as unfavorable. The camera filming exquisitely captures the city of Nairobi. The bright and vibrant colors of the buildings and objects used in everyday life of Nairobi aids to emphasize the spirit of the land.

Nairobi Half Life shows contrast from many other drama films. Mwas is portrayed as innocent and delicate character. Nairobi is identified as a city of opportunity to Mwas, however his mother informs him that “Nairobi is where poverty, disease and the devil live.”1 Shortly after, Mwas finds himself in the city’s lower social level and becoming a gang member. Most films featuring the violence and gang associated lifestyles are represented by overly masculine characters, however Mwas displays the opposite. Mwas struggles to balance the rough attitude need to survive in Nairobi’s slums and his normal playful personality. This variation of character type is noticeable because defies normality’s seen in numerous other films. Gitonga’s decision to create Mwas as an engaging and comedic character, allows humorous moments to break the tension in various of the intense violent scenes. This humor enables Nairobi Half Life to explore corruption, underdevelopment, and violence in a less harsh approach.

The climax, a combination of events that lead to a timely statement made by Mwas during his play production, summed up the entire film experience. The monologue was not only directed to the audience in the film viewing the play, but portrayed a message to the viewers of Nairobi Half Life.  The message persisted that every individual has a personal choice about life to pay attention to our surroundings or turn away from the terror that is evidently seen. This was a powerful tactic used by Gitonga to draw attention from all audiences. The plays end dialog yielded similar tragic events personally witnessed by Mwas. The message the monologue encompassed helps to a vivid image of life in Nairobi.

While the film only strays slightly from predictability, the film manages remain entertaining the entire duration by building a perpetual empathy for the main character. Mwas has to balance the transition from a naïve inspiring actor to facing the realities of lower class life in the Nairobi community. The actor Joseph Wairimu successfully executes the emotional and comedic roles of Mwas character in the film. Although certain events could have been portrayed in a more memorable way, Gitonga directed Nairobi Half Life to be a film of interest and passion.

Bibliography

• 1Lakhani, Sarika Hemi. Tom Tykwer. Ginger Wilson. Nairobi Half Life. DVD. Directed by David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga. Kenya, 2012.
• Dr. Jefferson, Alphine. Handout on January 14, 2019. Writing Correction Symbols on Papers.
• Dr. Jefferson, Alphine. Handout on January 14, 2019. How to Write Good.
• Dr. Jefferson, Alphine. Handout on January 14, 2019. How to Write a Good Paper.