THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND – Review

Every few weeks, a “feel good” story will get scooped up by news outlets, usually in an effort to combat the notion that the “Nightly News’ is full of “downer” depressing tales of despair. Such was the case of the young man at the center of this new film, as his story almost exploded a dozen or so years ago (he was eventually interviewed by Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show”). Many who heard him, may have thought “Hey, this should be a movie!’, and some who could make that happen shared the idea. Unfortunately, many movies “inspired by true events” will “movie-fy” true tales, smoothing out the “rough edges”, cleaning it up for general audience consumption, perhaps making it indistinguishable from regular TV fare, making it a “spruced-up” Lifetime or Hallmark uplifting flick of the week. Though this film is premiering on a streaming service, it was the passion project of one of our most gifted actors who has decided to make his feature directing debut with THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND.

The story begins at the turn of the century outside the dusty city of Kasungu in Malawi in the village of Wimbe. After the sudden death of the Kamkwamba patriarch, his farmland is split between sons Jeremiah and Trywell (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Jeremiah sells his land to local tobacco growers, but Trywell is determined to work the land for and with his family: wife Agnes (Aissa Maiga), teen daughter Annie (Lily Banda), pre-teen William (Maxwell Simba) and his adorable baby brother Tiyamike. William tries to help out with family finances by scouring nearby trash dumps in order to get parts for his radio repair business. It pays off when he finally gets to go to school. He devours his lessons and makes the school’s meager library a second home. But due to the harsh seasons (floods and then long droughts), the tuition can’t be paid and William is expelled. As things become more desperate, Williams sneaks back into the library (with the aid of a teacher who is Annie’s secret boyfriend), where he pours over a battered copy of “Using Electricity”. He also becomes fascinated with that teacher’s bicycle headlamp, which uses the front wheel to power and light the bulb. As the family faces possible starvation (along with most of the village) William hatches the plans for a machine that will use the wind to irrigate the crops. But he’ll need to use parts from the family bicycle. Can he convince his proud, determined father to allow him to build this device, risking all they have left?

Ejiofor provides a solid performance as the formidable family patriarch, anchoring what could be a fairy tale into a story of courage and survival. His Trywell (there’s an apt moniker) is determined to keep his household together, adhering to traditional work values, while striving to provide a better future for his children (they all must attend school). We see his efforts to achieve his goals constantly thwarted by greed (his brother sells out) and by political upheaval (a visit from the president results in ugly violence), and Ejiofor shows us how frustration can lead to the depths of despair. Finally, pride takes hold, as he resists and rejects the helping hand from his son. Fortunately, he has great chemistry with Simba as the title character. His William is a scrappy underdog hero for the ages. We see that sense of childhood wonder and curiosity channeled and focused on a way to save all those he loves, especially his pappa. Along with his bursts of invention and creativity (scouring the landfills and studying well into the night), he struggles to connect with his father while not chipping away at what’s left of his spirit. The bond between the two is strengthened by the solid performance of Maiga who provides the emotional glue that binds the family as it strains and, in one case, snaps. While fiercely supportive of her husband, she takes him to task for heading off to political rallies leaving them to fend off the destitute. Plus she must encourage William while never disparaging her husband in front of him.

Not only does Ejiofor delivers a superb acting job as Trywell, but he’s also balancing several jobs behind the camera. This is his feature directing debut (after making a couple of shorts) and he wrote the screenplay based on the book by Bryan Mealer and William. Kudos to Ejiofor for making no attempt to romanticize nor “sugar-coat’ the tough, grueling task of working the land. The extreme weather is almost another character in the film, turning from torrential downpours to searing heat almost “on a dime”. Plus the film gives us an intimate look at the community, a small town with strong ties whether they’re meeting with Chief (from tribal days) Wembe, racing to buy government grain, or gathering around a barely functioning radio to listen to the big game. We’re given a sense of how valued education is to them, as William smiles with joy at the school uniform (slacks, crisp dress shirt, and tie) waiting for him, neatly folded on top his bed (like toys under the Christmas tree). Plus Ejiofor really pulls at the heartstrings especially in a frightening moment when desperate neighbors turn on each other to survive. Even the sweet bond of boy and dog (William has a frisky sandy-haired mutt that follows him faithfully) is not safe from the cruelties of life. The story does stumble a bit when devoting too much time to a wandering band of costumed tribal performers (wearing masks and using stilts) that reek of heavy-handed symbolism. And the scenes of starvation and sun-baked misery feel too drawn out (a ten minute trim may have helped), while the actual “harnessing” is very rapid, almost a montage of building and “results”. Still, it’s a story worth telling once more, full of triumph and a celebration of the unbreakable human spirit while advocating accessible education for all. THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is an “inspired by true events” film that is itself is very inspiring.

3.5 out 5

THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is in theatres and is streaming now on Netflix