If there is anything worth watching this month it has to be ‘The First Grader’. It is an uplifting movie based on true story about an 84 year old man named Maruge (played by Oliver Litondo), an ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who is determined to go to school for the first time.
When I first heard about the film it made me curious to watch it. So I was delighted to have a chance to go see the preview. We were given a brief introduction by director Justin Chadwick which was sincerely humble and genuine. You could tell how moved and passionate he felt about the movie as he was telling the story and stressed the importance of making this film for everyone and especially for him.
As a filmmaker, he conveyed the film beautifully; he stayed true to the story by using an organic setting in Kenya. As well as using villagers and school children to take part in this project in order for it to look authentic. Not only did it bring the story to life but it demonstrated what
At the beginning, we meet the teacher who accepts him into the school, Jane Obinchu (played by Naomie Harris who starred in 28 days later and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3) who is an affectionate and charismatic teacher that grows very fond of Maruge. We also see she is depicted as a teacher who encourages her students to love and embrace education.
Jane fights for Maruge’s chance to be educated. They are both met with challenging obstacles once he joins as it causes uproar within the village community and officials who oppose his position as a student. However, it does not discourage Maruge but only pushes him further to continue his education.
The film also unveils how much he suffered throughout his life under the British colonial regime, having seen his wife shot dead and child taken away by the army and being imprisoned as a result of taking part in the Mau Mau uprising which was a military conflict that lasted for nine years in Kenya from 1952 to 1960.
Despite all of this, there were humorous elements which helped alleviate the more dark sections of the film. What I found enchanting was the friendship between Maruge and Agnes a disabled schoolgirl. During their playtimes Agnes befriends Maruge and it displays a wonderful image of the young and old.
One bit that surprised me was when a gang of teenagers threw rocks at the school; Maruge went after them to defend the children and whacked them with his stick. You would honestly think that the boys would fight back but instead they did the exactly the opposite - they ran away. Then at that moment I understood that it was disrespectful to hit an elder and it just shows their strong values and beliefs on how to treat older people with respect.
Overall, the film highlights key issues such as Colonialism, Tribalism, conflict and freedom. Chadwick’s interpretation of the movie was honest and brave and the fact that he was able to show all these issues made the film more credible. The film, however emphasises an even more important message which is the power of education and that no matter what age you are, you are never too old to have an education.
