The First Grader
The First Grader
Réalisation:
Justin ChadwickScénario:
Ann PeacockPhotographie:
Rob HardyMusique:
Alex HeffesActeurs·trices:
Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Nick Reding, Vusi Kunene, Gilbert K. Lukalia, Mumbi Kaigwa, Melvin Alusa, Oliver Litondo, Kamau NdunguRésumés(1)
In a small, remote mountain top primary school in the Kenyan bush, hundreds of children are jostling for a chance for the free education newly promised by the Kenyan government. One new applicant causes astonishment when he knocks on the door of the school. He is Maruge (Litondo), an old Mau Mau veteran in his eighties, who is desperate to learn to read at this late stage of his life. He fought for the liberation of his country and now feels he must have the chance of an education so long denied-even if it means sitting in a classroom alongside six-year-olds. Moved by his passionate plea, head teacher Jane Obinchu (Harris) supports his struggle to gain admission and together they face fierce opposition from parents and officials who don't want to waste a precious school place on such an old man. Full of vitality and humor, the film explores the remarkable relationships Maruge builds with his classmates some eighty years his junior. Through Maruge's journey, we are taken back to the shocking untold story of British colonial rule 50 years earlier where Maruge fought for the freedom of his country, eventually ending up in the extreme and harsh conditions of the British detention camps. (texte officiel du distributeur)
(plus)Vidéo (1)
Critiques (1)
The channel Cinemax made me really happy on Sunday morning. The First Grader is officially a British movie, but it tells a story of an old man from a small village in the middle of Kenya. From a country that was under the rule of Great Britain for a long time, finding someone who would put the today’s reality of this country right is a rare feat. And I must say that I found it very nice. It makes me incredibly happy when someone is able to appreciate something that we take completely for granted. And you know what? Even though we’ve got these possibilities, we just keep complaining and criticizing. This film is not only about the self-reflection of one nation that has decimated Kenya, but above all about people, about the humility that every European or American should look for in this film, because even though it is a very unusual story and quite incomprehensible to many people, it still has a lot to offer.
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