The boy who harnessed the wind

I absolutely loved this movie, it is amazing in its portrayal of a real-life story. It reminds me of the movie “The Good Lie”. This is one of those movies that will fill your heart with joy at how far we as a people can come with sheer willpower alone and how much knowledge someone with no knowledge but the “want” to learn!

MOVIE INFO

Initial release: January 25, 2019

Director: Chiwetel Ejiofor

Languages: English; Chichewa

Produced by: Andrea Calderwood; Gail Egan

Production companies: Participant Media; BBC Films; British Film Institute; Potboiler Productions

7.6/10 IMDb

Based on a true story ‘the boy who harnessed the wind’ is a very touching movie. It has beautifully depicted the life of a thirteen-year-old Malawi boy ‘William Kamkwamba’. It tells an astonishing story of triumph over hunger. Though this story is based in Malawi the struggle is relevant to a larger world. The film addresses the critical issue of climatic changes and how it affects the life of farmers. The world gets an idea of not only how difficult life can be in a rural village but also how rural people can overcome their struggles even during the worst of times.
The movie is set in a beautiful rural African country. The cast and crew of the movie and even the dogs are from the region itself. To give the movie an authentic feel, local language has also been used frequently. Wonderful acting by all the African actors especially Maxwell Simba who gave an amazing performance as William Kamkwamba.
We are lucky to go to good schools but we do not realize that there are many kids in rural areas who do not even have electricity and other basic amenities. William’s parents wanted him to be educated but they could not afford the fees so William was thrown out of the school. Even in such circumstances, William did not lose heart and he was determined to pull his village from the clutches of drought and famine. He went to the school library and read the book of energy. He learned how to make a windmill using dynamo. He had seen dynamo on his science teacher’s bicycle which his sister gave him. Then he made a small prototype to show that it can produce electricity and everyone except his father agreed to help him make the windmill. Finally, with the support of his mother, he convinced his father and got his bicycle, and developed the windmill which proved to be a boon for the village.
Though the movie is a bit slow it keeps the audience gripped throughout the journey. It’s a beautiful movie which every youngster should watch. It inspires children to become problem solvers and keep hope always alive. It showed the importance of education and how it can help people to have a good life.
It’s a must-watch movie and I highly recommend it, especially to all the teenagers!