Nowhere in Africa (2001)
German films on WW2 are always interesting as they provide a different perspective than the usual American involvement. This Oscar Winner doesn’t stand among the best, but it is an unique film in several ways.
The story follows a German Jewish family who flee to Kenya in the late 30s. The setting alone is a refreshing change of scenery, and while they are refugees their position is complicated by the fact that are still German and thus technically the enemy of the British military in Kenya at the time. In addition there is two levels of cultural and language barriers being German in an African country with British English speaking authorities.
For a WW2 film it is actually quite pleasant. The family general do well, there aren’t any major conflicts or major dramas. It is a personal journey and a coming of age for their daughter in this foreign country. The sinister aspects of the war comes when they receive letters from relatives still in Germany, which sets an important contrast.
It is a good film but not spectacular. It is more of a personal preference, but I did find the camera work distracting at times. It flows and moves around a lot, spins and zooms. But I am generally a fan of more calm use of the camera and I couldn’t see why this technique was used in an otherwise pretty calm narrative.
Rating: 3.5