Sincere film goes somewhere

Nowhere in Africa is a work of remarkable power and beauty. Its sheer realism and honest depiction of humanity alone are proof of why this film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. \nIt's the story of a Jewish family who moves out of Germany to escape Hitler's rising oppression in 1938. Relocating to Kenya, the family struggles to adapt to a different way of life, while dealing with their families' extermination back home. The story spans several years, and what we're left with is an epic portrayal of human struggle.\nNowhere in Africa starts off with Walter Redlich (Merab Ninidze), husband and father, fighting a bad case of malaria in Kenya. His cook, Owuor (Sidede Onyulo), cares for the struggling Walter, who sends word for his wife and daughter to join him. The film works in a fairly subtle, yet complex fashion. Starting in Germany, the tones are cold and blue -- very intolerant and foreboding. This is immediately juxtaposed with shots of Kenya, where the image is warm and inviting -- a welcoming environment. This is fitting, as Kenya allows the Jewish family to work and live in relative harmony, though not without a price. \nJettel (Juliane Kohler), the wife, has some trouble adapting to this new land. She's spoiled, expecting fancy dinner parties and opts to spend what little money they have on an evening gown, something for which she has no use in Africa. Walter is a strong man -- noble, perseverant and hell-bent on his family's survival. The daughter, Regina, is your prototypical vision of innocence, embracing the land for all it is, and ends up taking a fond liking to Owuor, who is one of the film's best elements. It's almost impossible not to like the guy. \nThe film's poignancy lies here: they escaped from Germany, where they were outsiders, only to find themselves in the middle of a much larger land, still outsiders. Walter eventually wants to return to Germany because he feels that while another country may have saved his life, it is not his country. You can't escape who you are, and sooner or later, you have to face that. \nThere is much to be marveled at in this film. While not without its fair share of flaws -- mainly pacing elements -- it displays itself as nothing but sincere. \nWhether you hate or love the characters and what they're going through, you'd be hard pressed not to passionately feel something.