In film projects like Nawi, made with good intentions and in partnership with an NGO, there is always the chance that the message overwhelms both the technical flair and the artistry one imagines a decent film requires.
Thus, at the minimum, the challenge such a project faces is two-fold: how to make the message subtle and how to make everything else shine. It’s a balancing game because too subtle a message would mean good intentions are defeated; just make a regular commercial or arthouse film. But too conspicuous a message would mean you are better off filming a public service announcement.
Fortunately for Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler, Vallentine Chelluget, and Apuu Mourine—the four people credited as directors—Nawi has a weapon in its child star, Michelle Lemuya Ikeny. She is one of those performers that, at rest or in motion, can charm a camera. And as the title character in this film set in East Africa, she has the naivete the role requires, and is also convincingly game. There would probably be a film without her — but it is not likely to be one that combines message and artistry satisfactorily.
Set in Turkana, Kenya, the film is centred around a polygamous family headed by Eree. One day, he is introduced to a man named Shadrack by his older brother. Shadrack wants to talk about something, and the scene is filmed in such a way as to alert the viewer that Eree isn’t entirely comfortable with what he’s about to hear.
Moments later, it is clear that the man of the house has made peace with what is to follow. Shadrack will marry Eree’s only daughter, Nawi. He is the head of the family. What he says will happen, will happen.
Around the same time, Nawi writes her final exams and turns out to be the best student in the county, a great achievement that brings press and plaudits. Suddenly, a rather peaceable household becomes the latest frontier of the tradition-till-death versus move-to-modernity battle.
Naturally, this comes with a struggle against patriarchy, as we see that the film’s older men insist on what has always been. On the other hand, the film’s women, including Nawi’s teacher, are either fiercely against the tradition or, in one case, somewhat glad that an ancient custom they experienced has been passed on to a younger generation. This sets the tone for a story that, by and large, succeeds as both message and movie, thanks, in part, to great-looking visuals by cinematographers Klaus Kneist and Renata Mwende.
The film’s success is also down to a screenplay (credited to Milcah Cherotich, who wrote the short story upon which the film is based, as well as the Schmutzler brothers). The screenplay approaches the aforementioned challenge with some humour, and can’t resist including a jokey line that brings together the film’s concerns about patriarchy, feminism, and a contextually apt form of capitalism. The line comes after a female character displays some assertiveness in a room full of men. As she leaves, one of the men says, “If the girl behaves like her mother, then I’ll have to pay less.”
The statement is followed by laughter—it’s not to be taken too seriously by the negotiating parties. But the inclusion of an unforced joke that takes in the film’s political concerns is emblematic of the film’s general quality and lack of heavyhandedness. Nawi is one of those rare films that, despite the weighty seriousness of its subject, stays afloat cinematically. That comes down to a good script, a fine lead performance from Ikeny, and a cast of supporting characters led by the immensely impressive Ochungo Benson as Eree.
Kenya has submitted the film as its 2025 Oscar Best International Feature Film contender. Which should draw some attention to the project, and, given the current climate, lead to concerns that two European men (the Schmutzlers are Germans) have director and screenwriter credits in a film about an African family and its young daughter. But such concerns, if made in good faith, will be silenced faced with the film itself. The fact is, sometimes the white gaze on African bodies and stories deserves the derision it has received over the past decade or so. But sometimes — especially when filtered through the gaze of the locals themselves — what one might call the white gaze is merely the gaze of a capable filmmaking team seeking to tell a story that needs to be told.
Cast: Michelle Lemuya Ikeny, Joel Liwan, Ochungo Benson, Ben Tekee, Michelle Chebet Tiren, Patrick Oketch, Nungo Marrianne Akinyi, Nyokabi Macharia
Directors: Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler, Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine
Screenwriters: Milcah Cherotich, Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler
Cinematography: Klaus Kneist, Renata Mwende
Editor: Toby Schmutzler
Art design: Erixon Kangethe, Korodi Esinyen
Music: Amadeus Indetzki, Apuu Mourine
Producers: Lydia Wrensch, Caroline Heim, Brizan Were
Executive producers: Ludwig Bayern, Steven Haft, Katja Eichinger, Matthias Rosenberger
Production companies: FilmCrew Media GmbH, Startup Lions Assets Kenya Ltd., Baobab Pictures GmbH
Duration: 99 minutes
In Swahili, English
