Nowhere in Africa

REVIEW
Remembrance is often paid for with one-too-many emotional air-raids. Director Link's Nowhere in Africa is not without its dour moments, but does offer an entirely different angle on the WWII Jewish plight, and ultimately a hopeful message. It is the true story of a German Jewish family encamped in interior Africa as bwana, or farmers, under British colonial rule. Through sprawling terrain and bustling ports-of-call we experience the cultural uprootedness and realities of enemy aliens staying afloat in the agri-business complex of the British Empire. Expatriate Walter (Nindze) is struggling through wartime internment and slippery employment, while his wife Jettel (Kohler) gradually balances new language and culture with old. The film relates the detached but no-less-horrific feeling of unfolding warfront news and the fate of distant relatives, a tenuous link with the outer world through long-awaited letters. Lensed here are some spectacular scenes of life on the Kenyan plains, conveying wisdom and attunement with the native culture; and an acute eye cast on the experiences linking family ever tighter to the land. Winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar, this superbly acted film is remarkable for both its story and aesthetic value. (German with English subtitles)