The First Grader

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 Africa is really like.

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.



PINA

Pina is a truly breathtaking and powerful film that pays tribute to the legendary choreographer Pina Bausch. With its use of visual effects and dimensional frame, the art of dance comes to life on-screen.

The dance explores the issues of misogyny, superstition and sexual hatred. ‘Le Sacre du Printemps’ captivated my attention with its dynamic and lively movements as well as its startling context. The set is designed so the dancers perform on a floor covered with dark soil. A large spotlight dimly appears shining across the centre stage leaving the rest of the stage into darkness.  A woman is put into a red dress in order to be sacrificed and sexually victimised by the men. Even though it seemed at times quite intense and disturbing, I enjoyed how incredibly gripping it was as. the music intensified the dance became more violent and horrific, creating a build up of dramatic tension. They were covered with filth helped create a more savage effect.

‘Cafe Müller’ was a different story. I was surprised me by it's so strangeness yet enchanted at the same time. There were moments of sudden movements (one dancer cautiously flung the chairs so that the other could move to the other side of the stage.) And there were other moments where the movements were slow and gentle, a male and female dancer kiss and embrace. It dealt with feelings of pain and longing emphasising the realities of everyday life. Vivid emotions of pain appeared through the dancing. A clip of Pina performing the dance when it was first introduced, clearly showed the pain in her eyes, her arms extending out to the audience as she moved slowly from the back. I felt empathetic but helpless because she has no one to long for yet she is longing for something.

'Vollmond' is another great piece with such a rhythmic and energetic feel to it. The music was so infectious and the dancers’ facial expressions gave us a delightful aura as they burst into the scene with excitement leaping away onto the stage. In this scene there is a giant rock surrounded by a pool of water with rain sparkling down, so the dancers flung themselves onto the water, swimming, kicking and swaying. Somehow they are driven by some sort of force that compels them to dance as if their lives depend on it but it is this force that draws the audience’s attention. What I like the most about this piece is how liberated the dancers are as they splash around the water and climb and slide down the huge rock.

You can see a continuous pattern emerging in which Pina brings nature into her pieces like Vollmond and Le Sacre du Printemps. I believe this is an innovative way to make dance interesting for the dancers to interact with nature and to create different pieces. However, the film isn’t solely based inside the theatre but outside as well. Several duos’ and solos are performed in site-specific areas such as shut-down factories, busy roads, forests etc. This gives the intention that dance can be performed anywhere in order to test the dimensions of space within other surroundings and creates a sense of freedom.

I must admit I didn’t know any of her pieces beforehand, but I was appalled at myself for not knowing any of them sooner. I specifically enjoyed her approach to dance and it’s philosophy; exploring the ways in which we can use the language of dance without words in order to express how we feel when we can’t express ourselves verbally. Sometimes I find myself in that position, wondering how just one  single word could translate into so many powerful movements.

One of her quotes stated “I’m not interested in how people move, I’m interested in what moves them” I think this is true to some extent, as I believe that how you move is equally important and when you combine it with what moves you it is powerful. And yes I agree that with Pina that when you dance you must be moved by something, whether it is the music, the dance itself or the concept behind the dance which evokes something emotional inside you and therefore you have a sudden urge to dance. This may sound cheesy, but dancing does come from the heart. If you look at Carlos Acosta; Rudolph Nureyev, Fred Astaire and Michael Jackson, all of them have become renowned artists of the world simply because they perform with an inconceivable passion. Yes, it is important to have as much technique as you can in order to excel but the actual truth is that when you dance from within; the passion that pours out from you affects the audience as they can see it and believe it. It is often the ones who perform with passion, that perform with conviction. And I believe that Pina has achieved this by teaching it to all of her company members.

Once you’ve seen Pina, you understand what Pina is all about as an expressionist, as a dancer, as a choreographer and as a person, you feel more connected with her and feel somehow magically part of her works. And that's as personal as it gets.

Carlos Acosta Premieres

I didn’t know what to expect of Carlos Acosta’s premieres. At first, I imagined it to be another one of his flawless performances in another famous classic ballet piece, but I was mistaken. It took me by surprise to watch his complex yet brilliant sequences.

One of the sections that took my breath away was when Acosta performs a solo called Two. It begins with him standing still at centre stage, caged in a light projection of an orange box. The effect of this giving the impressionthat he is confined and constricted.  There is no set instead it is a bare, pitch black stage which conveys a sense of isolation and solitude. A slow heavy, pounding sound starts. Carlos slowly sways his arm forwards and backwards in a gentle pattern and progresses toward sharper movements. The music then intensifies and there is a direct correlation between his movements and the music.  The dynamics of his actions become more energetic and bold this suggests how frustrated he is becoming at beingconfined. Not only do the music and the actions become rapid but the lights suddenly shift across the stage creating panic. The repetition of certain motifs adds to the frustration as well.

Towards the end, Carlos builds up the suspense along with the music by turning, twisting, punching and kicking gestures to create a dramatic scene, illustrating a frantic dance between the speed of movements and lights.

Carlos continues with the frantic sequence until he stops abruptly and so does the music. The lights fade in to darkness.

Out of all the six pieces, Two was an astonishing performance leaving me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I can now understand why the choreography was named Two because the dancer and the music both have a direct correlation to each other meaning they’re both connected as one but are regarded as two.

Show on 7th August 2010