The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
| The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind | |
|---|---|
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom Malawi |
| Languages | English Chichewa |
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a 2019 African
Plot
Born in Kasungu, Malawi, William Kamkwamba is a young schoolboy who comes from a family of farmers who live in the nearby village of Wimbe. William has a talent for fixing radios for his friends and neighbours and spends his free time looking through the local junkyard for salvageable electronic components. Although he is soon banned from attending school due to his parents' inability to pay his tuition fees, William blackmails his science teacher (who is in a secret relationship with William's sister) into letting him continue attending his class and have access to the school's library where he learns about electrical engineering and energy production.
By the mid-2000s, the family's crops fail due to drought and the resulting famine devastates William's village, leading to riots over government rationing. William's family is also robbed of their already meager grain stores. People soon begin abandoning the village, and William's sister elopes with his former teacher in order to leave her family "one less mouth to feed".
Seeking to save his village from the drought, William devises a plan to build a windmill to power the town's broken water pump. His small prototype works successfully, but to build a larger windmill, William requires his father, Trywell, to give permission to dismantle the family bicycle for parts, which is the only bicycle in the village and the family's last major asset. His father believes the exercise futile and destroys the prototype and forces William to toil in the fields. After William's dog dies of starvation and hope seems lost, William's mother, Agnes, intervenes and urges his father to reconsider. William and his father reconcile after William buries his dog. With the help of his friends and the few remaining members of the village, they build a full-size windmill which leads to a successful crop being sown.
Cast
- Maxwell Simba as William Kamkwamba
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Trywell Kamkwamba
- Aïssa Maïga as Agnes Kamkwamba
- Lily Banda as Annie Kamkwamba
- Robert Agengo as Jeremiah Kamkwamba
- Joseph Marcell as Chief Wimbeh
- Noma Dumezweni as Edith Sikelo
- Lemogang Tsipa as Mike Kachigunda
- Philbert Falakeza as Gilbert Wimbe
- Kelvin Maxwell Ngoma as Charity
- Melvin Alusa as Justin Mitwar
Release
On 14 November 2018, Netflix acquired global distribution rights, excluding Japan, China, and the United Kingdom.[2] The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2019.[3] It was later released on Netflix on 1 March 2019.[4]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 86%, based on 64 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind earns its predictably uplifting arc through strong performances and impressive work from debuting director Chiwetel Ejiofor."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
See also
- List of submissions to the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of British submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
- ^ "93 Countries in Competition for 2019 International Feature Film Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (28 November 2018). "Sundance Unveils Politics-Heavy Lineup Featuring Ocasio-Cortez Doc, Feinstein Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- Express Newspapers. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- CBS Interactive Inc.2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
External links
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind at IMDb
