"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"

"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" on Netflix. Written, directed by, and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. Mostly in the African language Chichewa, with some English.

I'm not sure how I feel about this film. Netflix bills it as "uplifting," which means, I'm learning, that it is a story about individuals succeeding despite horrible systemic injustices. I found the story troubling, all the more so as it is based on a true story.

In a village in Malawi in 2001, a family of farmers face poor weather and famine. William, the son, is a bright and curious kid, but he's forced to drop out of school because his family can't pay the fees. He sneaks back into the library anyway. During his free time he tinkers and searches the dump for parts.

From the description and title we know that William is eventually going to build a windmill to help his village grow more crops. Using irrigation, they can plant a second crop in the dry season. It takes a long time for the movie to get to this point. Late in the film, when William finally does speak up to his father about his idea (he even has a working prototype), he is yelled at and berated and his father strikes him. Eventually the father comes around and the windmill gets built. By this time, everyone is starving and the dog has died.

What strikes me about this story is that the people of this village lacked access or knowledge of mechanical pump technology. William uses an electric pump he found in the dump, along with a car battery, a Dynamo from someone's bike light, and a bike wheel. He bypasses the idea of a mechanical pump altogether. Wikipedia tells me that windmills used to pump water mechanically have existed since the 9th century in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

Perhaps I am missing some context here. But it seemed like systemic injustice-- the lack of access to technology-- was the heart of the problem. It was also a frustrating problem that people didn't believe in William or listen to him. I am lucky and privileged to come from a family and culture where kids are listened to, ideas are encouraged, and education is free.

Content notes: state violence (against the village chief), dog death, parents striking kids, famine.

2 documentaries

The Dawn Wall - Netflix documentary

I watched this on a rec from rydra_wong. I was totally sucked into this story about two climbers attempting a Feat: climbing the Dawn Wall of El Capitan, in Yosemite Park, which has not been done before.

The film follows Tommy Caldwell, a genius climber. He became a professional rock climber early in his life, endured a harrowing kidnapping while climbing in Kyrgyzstan, and lost part of his index finger in an accident with a table saw. Tommy eventually pairs up with Kevin Jorgeson, and the two spend years planning their Dawn Wall climb.

This documentary does an excellent job explaining why this feat is so challenging. Technical aspects of climbing are clearly conveyed. The landscapes are gorgeous and the people are likable. There is little to no controversy. The tension just comes from: can they do this amazingly difficult thing?

Very enjoyable.

Content note: Matt Lauer (in old interview footage)

Strike a Pose - Netflix documentary

So I know very little about Madonna and was not familiar with this big tour of hers, but apparently it was a big cultural moment. This film follows up with 7 men who were her backup dancers on that tour. There was an 8th member who died from AIDS. There were also some women but they are not featured in this film.

This was just a sort of gentle documentary that was relaxing for me to watch last week when I was stressed out. I enjoy watching gay people just talk about their lives. One of the 7 is straight, and at first I found him annoying, but then I realized that he comes from a lower class background than the others, who were all classically trained. They talk frankly about their experiences, they show a lot of emotion, and they clearly all formed a deep connection while on the tour.

The film talks a little bit (though not in great detail) about some lawsuits that happened. I would have liked to hear more about the idea that Madonna engaged in cultural appropriation when she performed Vogue, profiting greatly off of work done by queer and trans people of color in the Ballroom scene in New York. The film doesn't discuss this at all.

Content notes: AIDS, discussion of addiction, and ugh, Matt Lauer again in old media footage.