Product: Nowhere in Africa (2003)
Rating: 4.0
The Life Of A Family
Nowhere in Africa" is a film that tells the story of a German Jewish family who escapes from the Nazis by going to rural Kenya. They live and work on a farm in a dry region, and the father is paid to be the manager. The wife has many reservations about the farm and wants to move to the city. Their daughter loves Africa and befriends all of the local natives.Jettel, the mother is played by Juliane Kohler and Regina Redlica is played by Lea Kurka. They travel from Germany to escape the Nazi regime. Jettel loves elegance and brings lace tablecloths and china and forgets the refrigerator at home. Walter, played by Merab Ninidze, is exasperated because he wants what is best for his family. The marriage is in trouble, because both Jettel and Walter have differing goals. Walter wants to succeed in Kenya, Jettel wants to leave. They both live for the letters from home that come irregularly. The star of the film is Owuor played by Sidede Onyulo, he is the native cook and comes to love the entire family. Regina loves him immediately. She learns a great deal about Kenyan life from him. At one point, they are all rounded up by the British as enemy aliens. But they are taken to quite luxurious accommodations and cared for well.To the Africans, they are simply white farmers. Regina, finds her first taste of anti-Semitism when she attends t a boarding school. As time passes Jettel begins to feel more at home. Jettel grows to like Africa as the father likes it less, and their daughter loves it always. The story is told through the eyes of the daughter.This is a lovely story of a family in trouble, the Nazi regime is discussed and shown, and the love that binds the family in a remote section of Kenya. The characters are so well drawn, and we come to care about them. I wanted to know what was going to happen next and was engrossed in the film.Highly Recommended. prisrob 10-13-10