Nowhere in Africa

Under Caroline Link's cautious, occasionally plodding direction, this year's Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film--about a family of German Jews who flee to British-ruled Kenya to escape the persecution the father senses will come under the Nazi regime--often feels more dutiful than inspired. The story is narrated by the daughter (played initially by Lea Kurka and later by Karoline Eckertz), who easily acclimates herself to the new surroundings and whom we watch grow from a young girl into an engaging adolescent. But the film actually centers on her mother (Juliane Kohler), who's at first arrogantly dismissive of the locals but gradually learns to love the land and its people, particularly Owuor (the wonderfully dignified Sidede Onyulo), the family's loyal, knowledgeable cook. The domestic tribulations frequently seem soap-operatic and the character of the father (Merab Ninidze) remains rather opaque, but the film's larger theme--the nature and prevalence of prejudice, in a variety of forms--is a powerful one, and the vast landscapes, well captured in Gernot Roll's lush cinematography, give Nowhere in Africa an epic sweep. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this double-disc special edition include subtitled audio commentary (by director Caroline Link, producer Peter Herrmann, and costar Juliane Kohler), 10 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary, five cast/crew interviews (including a 31-minute featurette with Link, Herrmann, and novelist Stefanie Zweig), a 29-minute making-of documentary, a 19-minute photo montage featurette with commentary, a three-minute storyboard comparison, four score selection segments, and trailers. Bottom line: an impressive extras package for this 2003 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Mar. 6, 2018—Kino Lorber, 141 min., in German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $34.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 2001’s Nowhere in Africa features a decent transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound on the Blu-ray release. Extras include a “making-of” featurette (29 min.), interviews with director Caroline Link, producer Peter Herrmann, and author Stefanie Zweig (32 min.) and with costars Merab Ninidze (20 min.), Juliane Köhler (20 min.), Matthias Habich (18 min.), and Sidede Onyulo (9 min.), deleted scenes (11 min.), and a storyboard comparison (3 min.). Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for this Oscar-winning foreign drama.]