A young Malawian hero takes centre stage in ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ (2019).
Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, a teenager who saved his village from the ravages of drought, the Netflix film catapults us back to 2001 where the effects of political unrest and famine plague an indomitable Malawian family. Adapted and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor who makes an auspicious directorial debut with a film based on the book of the same name by Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ places one village’s trials and triumphs in the context of a larger political and environmental picture while highlighting the importance of education. Starring a wonderful Max Simba as the titular boy and the ever excellent Ejiofor as his father Trywell, the film introduces us to a child with an affinity for science, which sees him called upon to fix radios used to listen to soccer or simply to avoid having to talk to one’s wife and children. An eager child who delights in attending school, Kamkwamba’s joy is soon cut short as the drought persists, harvests fail and his father can no longer pay his school fees. Offering some frank and harrowing insight into the hardships faced by the people of Wimbe village with education framed not simply as a rite of a passage but a tightly gripped means to survival and escape, the film is often beautifully shot, stars the stirring Aïssa Maïga as Kamkwamba’s mother, Agness, but struggles to find momentum. While the pace of a typical village may very well be slow, the film could be tighter; it could chart Kamkwamba’s arc more deeply, particularly because his ultimate triumph is in the title. A heartwarming film about an African child’s ingenuity, determination and love for learning, ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ is illuminating, inspiring and entirely worth a stream.
