Product: Nowhere in Africa (2003)
Rating: 5.0
Excellent -- the best of this genre
At first glance, "Nowhere in Africa" might appear to be something we've seen on the screen before, i.e., "Out of Africa", "The Flame Trees of Thika" and the much inferior "I Dreamed of Africa" -- another installment in the European-in-East-Africa genre: Europeans newly arrived in Africa, cross-cultural conflict and confusion followed by acceptance, an "old Africa hand" lending support, a child growing up more African than European, the noble African servant, encounters with the local fauna, etc.But "Nowhere in Africa", while definitely part of the genre, is better than the other films mentioned. Largely this is the result of the strong character development. We see husband and wife really changed by their experience. Adding depth to the story is the fact that these European ex-pats are escaping Nazi persecution. The fact that they can only do so by participating in colonial oppression is not lost on them.The dialogue and acting are first rate, as are the cinematography, editing, and music. There are many memorable scenes, including some interesting ones where voices are layered over images in such a way that you can't tell whether the couple are speaking to each other or keeping their thoughts to themselves. Great work. Recommended!