Chadwick hones in on the minute detail...

London Film Festival

By Naima Khan - Spoonfed

From the director of The Other Boleyn Girl comes a heart warming depiction of one man’s struggle with education in Kenya, based on a true story.

For a Mancunian director, Justin Chadwick has chosen a very American title for his film, The First Grader : perhaps Kenyans do use the term ‘first graders’ but it doesn’t ever actually appear in the film. Chadwick has also chosen a rather formulaic structure through which to tell the touching true story of Maruge, an 84 year-old man who decides to go to elementary school for the first time.

Chadwick has a weighty character on his hands and a worthwhile story driven by themes of hope, tenacity and development; but in choosing such a conventional structure, he fails to set this film apart. Maruge, on the other hand, played by Oliver Litondo, is a standout character portrayed flawlessly by a remarkable actor.

Inspired by the government’s decision to provide “free education for all” and driven by a letter from the president he can’t read, Maruge decides to make use of the chance for an education. He joins the primary school class of inspirational Teacher Jane, a character completely owned by Naomie Harris who creates a teacher we all wish we had.

Maruge and Jane face animosity from the parents of the children in the class – all brilliant non-actors – mixed interest from the press and bureaucracy from superintendents and city bigwigs. The view that an education is wasted on an old man pervades the film, as do the things owed to Maruge for his part in fighting the British occupation of Kenya. These themes elevate The First Grader and Chadwick handles the complexity of education in a developing country with delicacy and warmth. He reminds us of the oft-forgotten elderly members of society who continue to carry with them their country’s past: a universal point that rings louder and truer for countries with a colonial history, like Kenya.

Chadwick also champions education as the Kenyans do. He’s clearly in love with this country, its landscape and its people. His scenes depict the past conflicts Maruge has lived through alongside his current struggle for education. His shots hone in on the minute detail of sowing seed by hand and writing numbers with a blunt pencil, and they all weave seamlessly into Maruge’s issues with his old eyes and ears.

A moving film with an enthralling cast, inspirational characters and a weighty history, Justin Chadwick’s The First Grader is only let down by its predictable structure.

The First Grader pushes All The Right Buttons

The View London Review

By Matthew Turner

An enjoyable feel-good drama that pushes all the right buttons thanks to strong direction and terrific performances from Oliver Litondo and Naomie Harris, though it’s also entirely predictable and some scenes may be too strong for young children.

What’s it all about?

Directed by Justin Chadwick, The First Grader is based on a true story and set in Kenya in 2003. Oliver Litondo stars as 84-year-old village elder and ex-freedom-fighter Kimani Ng’ang’a Maruge, who decides to take advantage of a government free primary schooling initiative to gain the education he’s always wanted, prompted by the arrival of an important letter from the government that he’s unable to read.

Maruge duly presents himself at the gate of a school run by kindly Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris) and her assistant Alfred (Alfred Munyua). After some initial resistance (Alfred insists Maruge must have a school uniform; Maruge turns up the next day in shorts, long socks and a shirt and tie), he’s allowed to join the school but his presence causes local and later national unrest, with seemingly only Jane prepared to fight his corner.

The Good

Oliver Litondo is superb, delivering a performance that is dignified, determined and quietly moving, while radiating warmth and humanity; his interactions with the children (especially a lame little girl and a boy who’s bullied by his strict father) are amongst the film’s highlights. Naomie Harris is equally good as Jane, generating strong chemistry with both Litondo and the children.

Chadwick’s direction is assured throughout, particularly during the schoolroom scenes, which have an authentic feel thanks to the use of a real school and its pupils. There’s also a lot of humour in the film, though some of the jokes are a little dodgy, for example a scene where Jane asks Maruge how he managed to control the kids and he replies that he threatened them with his stick, which would be a lot funnier if we hadn’t already seen Maruge use his stick to break up two fighting pupils in an earlier scene.

The Bad

The main problem with the film is that it’s relentlessly predictable from beginning to end, to the point that every scene unfolds exactly as you’d expect. In addition, the brutal flashback sequences (to Maruge being tortured by the British in the 1960’s) may prove too strong for younger viewers.

Worth seeing?

This is a well-made feel-good drama that makes up for its predictability with strong direction, an emotionally engaging script and terrific performances from its two leads. Worth seeing.

The First Grader - Film Review

Telluride Film Festival

By Stephen Farber - The Hollywood Reporter

TELLURIDE, Colo. Stories about inspiring teachers have tantalized moviemakers and movie audiences since the era of Mr. Chips and Miss Dove. The latest incarnation, “The First Grader,” proved to be one of the biggest crowd-pleasers at this year’s Telluride Film Festival. Although the arc of the story might be familiar, the setting and characters are fresh. Art house audiences are likely to discover and embrace the film.

“The First Grader” is set in Kenya and recounts the true story of an 84-year-old farmer and former Mau Mau tribesman who decided to go to school when the country introduced universal education. Screenwriter Ann Peacock introduces Maruge (Oliver Litondo), an old man with a walking stick, as he approaches the new school in his village and asks to enroll. The school authorities are reluctant to admit an octogenarian alongside 6-year-olds, and we gradually learn there are tribal rivalries that also contribute to their suspicion of Maruge. Teacher Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris) is equally skeptical, but when she observes Maruge’s unyielding determination to learn to read, she becomes his ally, even as she alienates her husband and government authorities who are just as bureaucratically rigid in Kenya as in so many other societies.

The film paints a vivid picture of rural and urban Kenya - Maruge eventually travels to Nairobi to plead his case - and it also sketches some of the forgotten history of the country.

Flashbacks reveal that Maruge suffered in a British prison camp and even lost his family at the hands of the British occupying forces. His past makes it painfully ironic that he faces so much discrimination at the hands of his own countrymen.

Director Justin Chadwick - best known for his superb BBC miniseries adapted from Dickens’ “Bleak House” - insisted on filming on location, and he enlisted locals for most of the roles in the film. Working with cinematographer Rob Hardy, he brings the countryside alive and also provides fascinating insights into a forgotten chapter of British colonial history.

Scenes in the classroom are entertainingly vital, aided by the natural performances of the Kenyan children. But the film shares the failing of many other films about inspiring teachers: It asserts that Jane is a marvelous influence on her students but doesn’t succeed in dramatizing revelatory moments in the classroom that might change the course of a young person’s life.

Because the writing falls down in some of these scenes, it helps that Harris - a veteran of small British movies as well as the gargantuan “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise - brings so much passion to her performance. She conveys Jane’s utter dedication while always leavening her performance with convincing moments of doubt and vulnerability. Litondo’s innate dignity is another major asset to the production. Chadwick strikes a perfect balance between humor and tragic gravity, and the result is that an unknown story seems certain to stir the hearts of audiences worldwide.

Venue : Telluride Film Festival

Cast : Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, Tony Kgoroge, Shoki Mokgapa, Alfred Munyua, Vusi Kunene
Director : Justin Chadwick
Screenwriter : Ann Peacock
Producers : Sam Feuer, Richard Harding, David M. Thompson
Executive producers : Norman Merry, Joe Oppenheimer, Anant Singh, Helena Spring
Director of photography : Rob Hardy
Production designer : Vittoria Sogno
Music : Alex Heffes
Costume designer: Sophie Oprisano
Editor : Paul Knight

No rating, 105 minutes