Ten years ago certainly feels like a long time ago, but it probably doesn’t feel like the beginning. In the Kenyan film industry, Nairobi Half Life is our omega, our very first nuclear explosion of cinematic expression, and a distinctly Kenyan addition to the crime genre – the beginning. Directed by then first-time novice Tosh Gitonga, who has since fully developed his own wings, and supervised by German filmmaker Tom Tykwer (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer), both of whom were in attendance at the 10-year commemoration of the film recently on 22 October at the Westgate Cinema, Nairobi Half Life is regarded as our country’s only true film classic.
Before the screening began, we were shown a clip of Joseph Wairimu, the film’s star Mwas, who could not attend as he was busy in Germany. Joseph kicked off with a tribute to Olwenya Maina, who gave an excellent performance as Oti, and is sadly not with us anymore. With specialised headsets, we were treated to a live commentary between the two aforementioned directors, the host Mugambi Nthiga, who played Cedric in the film, and the lovely voice of the movie’s first A.D. I rather hope there is a record of the commentary somewhere because it would be a shame having all those deliciously nit-picky devilish details about the film lost in the ether of the hundred or so collective memories that were present.
A good part of the audience was made up of the cast and crew who worked on the movie. However, a surprising number of hands went up when Mugambi asked how many would be seeing the film for the first time that night. I watched Nairobi Half Life for the first time the same year it came out – 2012, on one of those old 50 shilling DVDs. I was thirteen years old. I did not know as much about film and its language as I do now, nor had I seen nearly as much, but I liked it very much, and instinctively, I knew it had some kind of genius. In the writing: Mwas escapes getting shot, runs miles to act in his play, and for the first time, we see the play’s conclusion of his character getting shot at the back, cut to black—it hasn’t been topped yet! The production: I was shocked to see Nairobi’s CBD captured in an elegant Hollywood-esque crane shot. I knew at once this movie was special and would be remembered. I knew that I knew this because I watched it twice the same day. Those were my instincts.
Now, let’s get to the director’s instincts. During the commentary, Gitonga spoke about this being his first film and admitted to not being sure he could see it through without the supervision of veteran Tykwer on his back. It was, evidently, a collaboration in the highest degree. Gitonga had to explain to Tykwer how thugs around these parts will evade a victim, running away and leading them into a dark alley, then stand and dare them to follow. During the climatic shoot-out escape sequence, Gitonga acknowledges Tykwer’s contribution to the overall film in what some would call direct directorial input: get this shot, get that shot. There was a certain amount of hand-holding, but one companion in the finished product is completely a ghost because this has Kenya all over it. It may be the most Kenyan film ever made, in an era where what I seem to be complaining about the most is the derivative nature of our local films and television. If this spun some kind of renaissance in Kenyan filmmaking, we still clearly have much to learn from Nairobi Half Life. Here is a great example of superimposing your culture onto an entire genre instead of reappropriating your own culture into another genre.
After the screening, I asked Gitonga how his experience in making Nairobi Half Life shaped his trajectory as a filmmaker. It boosted his confidence, he said, and it taught him to trust his instincts. We also talked about the difference between this production and his subsequent ones, budgetary differences and whatnot, to which he sang the great soldier’s song, “Yeah, it’s tough to get funding here compared to places like where Tom is from, where culture and art are more appreciated. But I’m seeing things are starting to change.” I think to myself, “Yeah. No shit, sir. Mostly, thanks to you.” I was looking straight at him; there were already so many people clamouring for his attention, and right behind him was this giant silver screen. When I asked him what was next, he revealed that he was planning to film an action movie next year, which piqued my interest a good deal, but upon inquiring further, he refused to indulge me.
If you’ve ever seen Nairobi Half Life with an audience, you know the scenes in which you could hear an actual pin drop before it hits the ground. Well, it was no different during the film’s ten-year anniversary screening, even among people who’d probably seen it tens of times over. Even the commentators sometimes forgot to speak, and at one point, Tykwer apologized for it by saying, “We went silent for a while there (laughs). Sorry guys, it’s just a really good movie.”
Yes, yes, it is.
Nairobi Half Life is now streaming on Netflix.
