Nairobi Half Life (David Tosh Gitonga, 2012) :Kenya

Reviewed by Tarence Glasker. Viewed on November 5 at AFI filmfest 2012.

In The Nairobi Half Life, Mwas brings you through the struggle of survival of the fittest, as he hopes off the bus from his small village to try and make it as an actor in the big city of Nairobi. Nairobi is located in Kenya Africa and is also Kenya’s largest city. But just like the famous city Hollywood in California, Nairobi takes connections and street smarts in order to survive as a normal citizen; Especially if your trying to become famous. But before Mwas can jump straight into the acting world he needs to learn how to survive in the streets after he is left stranded with nothing when he gets robbed first thing once he gets of the bus to arrive in the city.

Josoph Wairimu plays as Mwas who comes from a village in Africa and is moving to Nairobi to pursue his dream in acting which he really haves a talent for although in order to have a place to stay and eat and feel safe he have to run with the hoodlums of the streets to make a living. The film is caught with high angled camera using multiple views giving you a good look at all the action that comes you way.  You See Mwas fight with living two separate lives that cant co exist for to long because they are so different but in the end it mentally helps him prepare for his plays as his character he acts as matches the exact Irony he goes through during this time.

Mwas learns the streets quicker than his buddies thought and he finds him self getting into bigger problems and gambling with bigger situations. In a city that is all about making fast money and fame just like Hollywood. Mwas finds out that it is just as easy to lose everything you build in a fast past city like Nairobi than it is to gain. for an example during the last scene Mwas starts gambling with stealing cars to make more money faster and quicker because he gets so caught up in living the dream in a entertaining city like Nairobi. But he soon finds out the more you he put him self on the radar as a big shot the more problems he gained. I guess you can say “more money more problems” as another title to describe this film.