The First Grader

4/4

Starring: Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, Alfred Munyua, Vusi Kunene

Rated PG-13 for Some Disturbing Violent Content and Brief Nudity

“The First Grader” is easily the most charming movie of the year.  With great storytelling and two lead characters that are impossible not to like, it’s really a must see for those who seek to be inspired.  It’s a formula picture, to be sure, but it’s well told, which is all that matters.

Kenya, 2003.  The government has just granted free education to everyone with a birth certificate, which results in a mad dash of enrollments at a primary school in a mountain village.  There is something strange, however.  A frail, old man has arrived, saying that he wants to enroll.  He is rebuffed, but on the first day, he comes back.  Alas, it doesn’t work.  But this man, whose name is Kimani Maruge (Litondo) is persistent, and he soon wears down the teacher, Jane Obinchu (Harris).  As one might expect, there is a certain amount of controversy about having an 84 year old student in a classroom full of children.  But Maruge is undeterred; he wants to learn to read.  Although uncertain if it’s worth it at first, Jane is willing to do whatever it takes to allow this old man to attend her class.

This is an example of a traditional story told very well.  We all know the story…the oddball comes in, there’s friction but he breaks the ice, then the two characters bond, and so on.  The difference between this and the average melodrama is that the characters are well-acted and developed, and the film completely draws us in.

Naomie Harris has had an interesting career.  She got a decent break in Danny Boyle’s overrated “28 Days Later,” and she’s had supporting roles in a number of films like “After the Sunset” and the second and third “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequels.  While I was impressed by her acting in the POTC movies, I was equally unimpressed with her performance in “Ninja Assassin.”  Here, she gives one of the best performances of the year as the good teacher.  She’s kind, but knows what she can and can’t do.  Likewise, Oliver Litondo is the perfect foil for Jane.  He’s persistent, smart and proud; and he touches her deeply.  It goes without saying that she would have lived an ordinary life as a popular teacher had he not entered her classroom, but he made her life something special; he gives her something to stand up for.  Litondo is also very good when he reveals the painful past that brought him to this point.  His story is all the more heartbreaking because of how good Litondo is.

The one flaw of the film is that the “controversy” resulting from the Maruge’s enrollment feels artificial.  Whether it’s because Maruge appears to be so harmless, or that something went wrong in the scripting or directing stage, the controversy aspects seem overblown and unconvincing.

That being said, this film has a number of superb aspects to it.  The film is charming and likable without going overboard.  It is also at times very powerful and tragic (there was one scene where I had to cover my eyes).  Director Justin Chadwick must be commended for being able to cover such a wide scope of emotion without missing a beat.

I often wonder why I see so many movies.  Some are good, some are awful, but every once in a while I see a film like this that makes it all worth it.  This one’s a real winner.

Revision:  It's relatively rare that I reassign a rating to a film I have seen.  I've only done it on two occasions: "The Descent" and "Hollow Man."  "The First Grader" is my third revision.  At first, my initial impression seems to be right.  Margue appears to be too harmless to cause such a controversy.  But looking back, it does make sense.  I mean, would you want an 84 year old man in a classroom with your five year old child? Watching Maruge in the film, the answer would be yes because our sympathies lie with him.  But the parents don't know him as we, and Jane, do.  Some might think it inappropriate.

Finally, the strength of the performances must be acknowledged.  The two leads, Naomie Harris and Oliver Litondo, give fantastic performances.  The film was too low-profile, but had a major distributor picked it up, I think they would have scored Oscar nominations.  They deserved it.