PILI – Review by MaryAnn Johanson

Pili lives in rural Tanzania and struggles to support her two young children, since her husband left them, as a daily farm laborer. But then the opportunity she has been waiting for pops up: a market kiosk in her small village comes vacant, and if she can scrape together the fee its owner is asking, she can start her own business — she wants to sell beauty products — and can finally get herself and her family on a solid financial footing. It’s a big if… and it will demand than she make some extraordinarily difficult decisions, ones that could have life-altering repercussions in all sorts of ways.

This feature directorial debut from British filmmaker Leanne Welham, which she wrote with Sophie Harman, is wholly remarkable. Pili was shot in the village where it is set, utilizing mostly nonprofessional actors, telling a story that is only just barely fictionalized from their own lives. Bello Rashid, as Pili, gives the film a quiet yet rock-solid center: there hasn’t been a movie like this one before, showcasing the determination, the dignity, and the indomitable spirit of the women of East Africa, and Rashid presents a proud portrait. Unexpected angles on Pili’s life bring us a new understanding of the challenges women like her face. Continue reading…