Ambition can break your heart, and the patience to see your dreams come true may drive you nuts. But that doesn’t stop 10-year-old Aisha (Eletricer Kache Hamisi) from chasing an unconventional future in Damien Hauser’s warm-hearted, family-friendly drama After The Long Rains.
Set against the beautiful backdrop of Kenya’s ocean shorelines, Aisha’s scrappy energy is matched by the film’s easy charm as it sends out the message that the only future that’s predetermined is the one you give up on.
In the small town of Watamu, it’s tradition for children to eventually inherit and run their parents’ businesses. But Aisha has other plans. She wants to become an actress and move to Europe, so she can experience the magic of snowfall and lead the same life as the people in the Western shows and movies she watches on television. This revelation, which comes from a classroom assignment to write about what she wants to be when she grows up, doesn’t go down well. When she’s told to be more realistic, Aisha hatches a new plan: she’ll learn all she can from local fisherman and town drunk Hassan (Bosco Baraka Karisa) for her assignment, and then when she’s older, take a boat and make her own way to Europe.
Presenting (and succeeding) as an endearing and sweet story about a young girl challenging her community’s expectations, multi-hyphenate Hauser has other concerns on his mind bubbling beneath the surface. As Aisha sets out on her own path, her perseverance inspires her older brother Omari (Ibrahim Joseph), who’s been cherry-picked to run the taxi service where their father works, to pursue his own passion for designing clothes instead. All of this mystifies their mother Eveline (Bibi Swaleh), who comes from a generation that doesn’t consider individual happiness or shower affection on their children. She becomes the vessel for the film’s open questions about the impact of continental colonialism via Western media and how it has accelerated changing traditions in Kenya.
No need to worry, however, as these meaningful inquiries float at the edges, wisely not coming to any firm conclusions, and staying out of the way of the picture’s otherwise sun-kissed optimism. The heart of that sensation comes from the natural performances and comfortable chemistry between Hamisi and Karisa, playing two outsiders whose common bond as outsiders forms the basis of a winning friendship. And through them, what emerges is a remarkably intimate and knowing portrait of the interconnectedness of an entire community, and what’s at stake — and what can be gained — from a tear in the social fabric.
If the film feels like a labor of love that’s because it was one. Hauser pulled together a small crew and left no job unturned that he couldn’t handle himself. Not only did he direct the film, but impressively wrote, lensed, edited, co-composed the score, and even drove actors to set. Yet the picture comes off as anything but threadbare or lacking. Even if Hamisi commands the majority of the scenes, you’d never know that Hauser and his team only had access to her on weekends, and for a two-week stretch during school vacation. Waiting for his actress perhaps left the director with more time to shoot the breathtaking ocean vistas that demand a big screen airing. Whatever the meagre resources to shoot the film, the palpable care that went into making it ensures they don’t show.
The making of After The Long Rains can also be viewed as an echo of Aisha’s journey, and a lesson for her about making do with what’s available and not forgetting to appreciate the present moment before rushing into the future. If she takes off too quickly, she might not see her brother succeed, hear the long-sought after words “I love you” from her mother, or come to realize that if you want to see snow, it’s only as far as Mount Kenya.
Director, screenwriter, producer, cinematography, editing: Damien Hauser
Cast: Eletricer Kache Hamisi, Bibi Swaleh, Bosco Baraka Karisa, Najima Khanda
Music: Simon Emanuel Joss, Damien Hauser
Sound: Aaron Scheuber
Production: Kenya, Switzerland
World sales: Rushlake Media
Venue: International Film Festival Rotterdam (Harbour)
In Swahili
91 minutes
