| Who's Home? | ||
| Mugabe & The White African | ||
| Review by Ross Anthony | ||
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A little over a decade ago I visited Zimbabwe and stayed with local residents. They were white. And they were scared. I could sense an impending danger, even doom, in their eyes and their words to each other, but I just was too much of an outsider to understand. Though clearly harboring an unbalanced, biased point of view, the film sheds light on the rest of that menacing iceberg. Can you imagine the government, the actual president of your country, ordering you to walk away from your home, your land, the life you built honestly for yourself? Can you imagine being the last hold out? Whatever you think of the history, you can't help being impressed with this drama and this White African. Besides my personal experience in Zimbabwe, what drew me to this unusual documentary was the promise of a courtroom drama of a difficult, yet very relevant issue. Assuming the historical injustice of whites "taking" African land in the past, does a standing African president have the right to disenfranchise current white land owners and hand the land over to the hardworking poor African blacks? Since, it's a question that I'm not sure how to answer myself, I would so enjoy hearing it argued well from both sides. Unfortunately, reality gets in the way, and this solid dilemma never plays out in the courtroom. It does, however, make it to screen in a more raw, but passionate way. In the middle of the picture, Mike the white farmer returns to his land to find the black son of a high official parked and insistent. (I paraphrase below.) "Leave this land! It's not yours. It belongs to the black poor." The son demands. "This is mine, I earned it honestly," Mike calmly asserts, "and besides you're not poor." It's an intense and completely compelling exchange. Fortunately, instead of guns, they each draw cameras and film each other. Perhaps, each hoping to use the others words as evidence. The film has other such powerful and emotional moments. It also has its lulls. But, besides raising awareness of human rights specifically in Zimbabwe and generally in the world, the film also succeeds at reminding the viewer of the both beautiful and ugly challenges being human in the world has to offer. |
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Grade..........................B+ (2.5/4) |
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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186.
Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow. |
