Stories of Our Lives is an anthology of five short films with LGBT themes from the East African republic of Kenya. It was made by the Nairobi-based art and activist group The Nest Collective, many of whose members prefer to conceal their identities to avoid possible persecution under Kenya’s notoriously draconian anti-gay laws. The film is still banned in it some country. The five dramas are mostly personal and domestic inspired by true incidents. ASK ME NICELY Kate, a rebellious young high school girl, meets first-love Faith, a fellow student. They begin a secret relationship, until the school principal takes action to separate the two by suspending Kate from the school. Back at home, Kate impulsively has a sexual encounter with a boy in her neighborhood. Two weeks later, Kate and Faith have an awkward reunion leading to their separation. RUN After negotiating a business deal, Patrick stumbles upon a local gay bar with his homophobic best friend, Kama. Patrick later returns to the clu...
Teenager Florian lives with his parents. He has excellent relationship with his mother who is everything to him, but not so well with his father, who is always struggling not knowing what to do with his son. Florian is fat, not interested in sports or girls, has two left hand. When the mother gets a stroke and is in coma, the father son have to reevaluate their relationship with one another. The father is a swimming coach and he takes Florian along with him to the pool. There Florian meets another boy and he starts to have feelings and sexual awakening to that boy. They sleep together one night (don't think sex happens). The father sees them and is confused but in some hilarious situations that follow, expresses his support to his son and him being gay. Needless to say the kids are embarrassed. Eventually the doctors decide the mother needs to be taken off ventilator, but the renewed father-son bond is going to take them through life journey much easily.
As I mentioned that this is not specifically gay film, but I did like the sequences where Florian starts to have a sexual awakening of his attraction towards another boy. Interestingly the mother probably always knew it, based on one of the scenes earlier in the film. Even better, and I am glad that they showed this with a comic angle, was the father showing his support for his son being gay. Sure, he fails miserably in his assumptions and his show of support but its the thought that matters. Besides all this, the film is actually a simple yet loving story of coming to terms with love and loss. We all have our ways of dealing with grief, but this film takes an inspirational route to show their perspective. The film doesn't take itself too seriously but takes the characters and their worries head on and that actually works in it's favour. Flori was such a wonderful and unusual protagonist and some of the dream like sequences are fun to watch. The film works because of the amazing acting by the father-son duo. A good fun time watch. (5.5/10)
Comments