The White Masai (2005)

Dreadfully Boring

An absolute waste of money

A Disappointing Continuation

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This is a really well filmed movie. The acting ranges from average to very authentic. I wonder how they managed to film some of the settings and how much the Massai way of life was disturbed by the film crew's visits. In any case, on a technical level, it is well produced. The message is the problem of this film. Ostensibly, the film is a romance failed between western, civilized, white Swiss woman and eastern, uncivilized, black African man. They start off passionate, but soon come the inevitable cultural clashes. In every circumstance, the white woman reacts as a westerner would (and not surprising - how else should one be expected to act?). What IS surprising is that we see the Massai husband attempt in every circumstance to accept or even adopt the ways of his wife. He fails almost every time, but, man, did she find an understanding man to marry. He even goes so far as to cut off his precious warrior hair (a symbol of his manhood) so that she will be more pleased with him. The fact that he loses patience, lashes out, or accuses her of infidelity should come as natural, as his ignorant wife steps over his cultural taboos repeatedly. But he manages to stifle letting his anger out fully because he loves her. Even his tribe accepts this woman, who arrogantly assumes her ways upon them. Now I would have had no problem with these developments had the movie been completely neutral or sided with the Massai more (clearly the Massai were far more patient with her than she with them). But this film seems to side with the white woman and subtly justify her decision to leave country and take their daughter with her, leaving her husband disgraced and now childless. We are asked to sympathize with her, and while we should, we are not asked to sympathize with the Massai. What a wasted opportunity. The film gets 4 points for technical prowess, but none more because of the story!

An interesting German film, based on a true story, about one Carola, a Swiss woman touring Kenya with her boyfriend who is suddenly smitten by a tall, slender Masai tribesman named Lemalian. She astonishes her fiancé by deciding to stay in Kenya and look for Lemalian. Eventually, she founds him among his people, living off the land as subsistence farmers, and decides to settle with him despite the obvious hardship of living there, especially for someone coming from the highly developed world. They eventually marry and they have a daughter but the obvious cultural differences take a toll in their relationship.It might be hard to enjoy this movie if you expect the main character to be likable. As portrayed in the movie, Carola is quite immature: she is initially smitten by Lemalian when they dance sensually in a club. Clearly, the only reason she was attracted to him initially was purely sexual. At times, she looks both naive and arrogant: one has the sense that if she has decided to live among the Masai she should have to be more accommodating to Masai cultural mores. For instance, she is completely outraged when one of the girls in the tribe is circumcised as if she had never heard about this widespread costume before. When they open a shop that sells basic stuff to the tribe she arouses his jealousy by smiling to the male customers. And in the shop she also refuses to give credit to anyone, despite the wishes of her husband, ignoring a tribe's intricate kin relations. Lemalian's motivations are not very well explained in the movie, he is something of a blank, he doesn't understand why his wife cannot be more accommodating to Masai culture, and at the end one fells a bit of a pity to him (though not one forced him to marry Carola).Overall I found this film to be very interesting and entertaining. A very nice photography that shows both the pretty and seamy side of Kenya helps the movie a lot.

Although the film takes liberties - the book makes it clear the warrior speaks neither English or German -- the question must be asked: why does a woman fall in love with a man she doesn't even know. It couldn't have been lust because it was clear he was an appalling lover initially at least. The cultures are so far apart. This is not just Africa vs Europe but rural Africa vs urban Europe. The film in no way explains how a person, probably educated and surely emancipated, would want to spend her live in the bush with a macho man with nothing but outstanding scenery to compensate. Living in a shared hut and sharing pools of water to wash. No wildlife, just goats and cattle; seemingly nothing to read, no one with whom to communicate except the odd visit to another woman in the town and a hostile pastor. It is so far from comprehensible that I viewed the film with increasing incredulity. Yes, the scenery was wonderful but African is so much more.

As a (white) woman who was once involved with an African man, I'm always a bit skeptical of these "Jungle Fever"-like movies. I was very pleased to discover there isn't a huge emphasis on titillation. The director could've easily made it more salacious. Interracial couples are more than just their contrasting skin colours or fodder for the sexual fantasies of others.I wasn't surprised by this woman's difficulties in the small, remote, Kenyan village. One could predict she'd face all those obstacles, and more.I was surprised by how many of the reviews suggest her problems were her "fault" or that there is ANY "reason" for the husband's actions. No matter what the nationality of my various, past boyfriends and current husband, none of them would ever conduct themselves like that towards me (and live to tell about it) (wink), nor would they desire to do so. My African boyfriend was a model of civility and respect for women. Indeed, every man I've been involved with has been the embodiment of the term "integrity". Men who behave in insulting, unjust, much less violent, ways towards women (or anyone, really) aren't worthy of my consideration.It's not that I don't "get" why the dynamics between the two lead characters causes some conflict within the framework of the society in which they live. It's just that, at some point, some things are just right or wrong. Making false accusations, especially against someone you profess to love, is unconscionable. There is no excuse for his behaviour. Comparing his outrageous behaviour to her naiveté is ludicrous! This man, like soooooooooooo many around the world (it seems), is so infantile and weak, he feels he must brutalize a woman to make himself feel better. ...Pathetic.Still, I generally liked Lemalian (Jacky Ido), until he fell from grace. I was surprised by Carola's decision not to adopt more of the local customs, as well as her ultimate decision, at which point the movie ends. I could still see ways the two could work beyond their cultural differences, especially since both had so generously tried to understand the other's point of view.In all honesty, I found the couple's attire differences to be jarring, especially in more urban settings. I fully expected one or the other to start dressing more alike. With the very traditional Masai garb juxtaposed against modern women's clothing, I surprised myself with how much I noticed this contrast, throughout the film.In all, I enjoyed this movie most because it is alleged to be a true story. I think it wouldn't be either as believable or engaging, if it were fictitious. I would recommend it as a video rental for an easy-going Sunday afternoon.