The effects of climate change are shown on an intensely personal level in this documentary by Norwegian director Julia Dahr and Kenyan farmer Kisilu Musya. After Musya and his family’s small plot suffers from a severe drought followed by a torrential storm, he takes the lead in learning about global warming and instructing his neighbors about its impact on weather. Musya’s collaboration with Dahr to document his work in Kenya leads to a visit to Europe, where he observes a level of expertise he would like to see emulated in his homeland. The trip also paves the way for an invitation to attend a meeting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21, in Paris, where he offers deeply felt testimony about what he and his fellow Kenyans have endured, and urges international action. The result is not at all what he hoped for, as the conference ends in empty promises without any practical effect. Despite this less than hopeful outcome, Thank You for the Rain makes for a compelling plea for action on climate change, thanks to the personality of Musya. The footage of him working the land with his wife and children, gloomily observing the destruction wrought by drought and rain, and talking with other farmers about what they must learn to expect, is both heartbreaking and inspiring. By film’s end, Musya comes to embody the passion that is needed, but sadly lacking, in world leaders. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Thank You for the Rain
(2017) 87 min. DVD: $348. Icarus Films. PPR. Closed captioned. Volume 33, Issue 3
Thank You for the Rain
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