Directors: Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady

With the current buzz around directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s upcoming film ‘Jesus Camp’, I thought I’d have a look at their first documentary ‘The Boys of Baraka’. Here’s my review:

I’m a sucker for coming-of-age stories. I don’t know what it is about watching a group of kids struggling through the trials and tribulations of life that I find so entertaining. It can be tough viewing as we see them naively make familiar mistakes, but at the same time it’s uplifting to watch as they succeed and make the right choices. I suppose it’s almost a fantasy ‘do-over’ for that short period of time when you watch these kids growing up. You almost want to warn them of what’s ahead and help guide them down the right path, or at least a different path that you might have taken yourself. ‘The Boys of Baraka’ had the same effect on me, although I can’t say that I could really project myself into the shoes of the kids featured in the film. They’re much more resilient then I could ever dream to be.

‘The Boys of Baraka’ refers to an experimental boarding school in Kenya, Africa. Each year the school hand picks a small number of boys who seem sure to be heading down a dangerous and predictable path, and show them that there is hope and they do in fact have a future. The film focuses on a group of kids born and raised in the crime infested streets of Baltimore’s projects. As the kids watch everyone around them slowly heading down the same path of drugs and violence, they’re given the opportunity to chose a different path by spending two years at Baraka. We’re introduced to a group of four boys, all in similar situations. They’re smart, they’ve got potential, but they’re environment seems to be holding them back. 14 year old Devon Brown hopes to one day become a preacher. He has his moment of glory, showing off his charismatic skills, which makes it all the more powerful when we see him acting difficult with his peers. More devastatingly, the actions of his in-and-out of jail Mother seem to be playing a role in Devon’s behaviour. Brothers Richard and Romesh are aware of the opportunity they’ve been given, but aren’t half as excited or impressed as their Mother. Then there’s Montrey, whose numerous suspensions and bad attitude are getting in the way of fulfilling his dream of becoming a ‘chemologist’.

Once the introductions are made, the film follows the boys to Kenya, and we watch as they try to adjust to their surroundings. What starts off as a vacation slowly loses it’s novelty as they begin to realize that they’re in it for the long haul. In one scene, Romesh drags his packed bags out onto the basketball court, ready to walk hundreds of miles to the nearest airport, explaining to his brother that this trip isn’t exactly what he had in mind. He’s not the only one who felt that way. Most of the kids initially were put off when the realization set in that even though they were in Africa, they were still in school. Now they’re being forced to actually try their best and be responsible kids, where as before they could simply blend in with the rest of the overpopulated and under attended students at their respective Baltimore high schools. But as time goes on, the boys adapt and begin to accept their surroundings. They continue to grow. Aside from some minor altercations, including a great scene where two of the boys are forced to build a tent together after a fist fight, everything seems to be going smoothly.

Once the school year ends, the boys are sent back to Baltimore for their summer vacation. This is where it’s pretty noticeable that their home environments could end up destroying any chance they have for a future. In Africa they were boys being boys, but in Baltimore they were surrounded by so many obstacles that they couldn’t focus on what was most important. It’s this realization that makes the blow even harder when the parents are told that the Baraka school has been closed indefinitely due to escalating violence in Kenya. Once confronted with this information, one of the frustrated Fathers says that their kids are more likely to be killed in their own neighbourhood then in the war zones in Kenya. The boys are then forced back into the public school system, obviously disappointed and disillusioned by the system that promised them a future and ultimately didn’t follow through.

The Boys of Baraka is a wonderfully made film that pulls you into the lives of these four kids and has you cheering them on as you watch them making their own choices, good or bad, and learning from their mistakes. It’s a film of self-discovery, as you watch a group of boys that have been branded as unsavable turn their lives around with a little help from The School of Baraka. This is definately a film worth checking out.