Gun Runners

The lives of two friends who shared a past together as Kenyan militiamen—killing and stealing—before pursuing new and ultimately separate destinies is the powerful if sometimes disorienting story at the heart of filmmaker Anjali Nayar's documentary Gun Runners. Julius Arile and Robert Matanda give up their AK-47s for running shoes—and the prospect of becoming champions in marathons across the globe. It's a choice that is intended to make a fresh start for them as men and fathers, although it is ultimately Arile who finds extraordinary success and becomes a symbol of redemption on the world stage, standing beside former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan while telling his story. Meanwhile, Matanda seems to be putting stock in a brighter future for Kenya, one that will open for him new possibilities. His certainty about Kenyan politics and an upcoming election borders on arrogance, but he ends up bitterly disappointed. While the narrative here is often engrossing, Nayar has trouble promoting clear storylines and chronology. It is jarring to see Arile in America early on, without enough background to make his arrival there feel triumphant. Nor do we see enough of Matanda's transitions to understand why he is mired in politics. Nayar's technique is also questionable: she sometimes crosses the line between documentary and feature filmmaking, relying heavily on extensive re-enactments of the types of crimes her subjects used to perform. Optional. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)