Stories of Our Lives (Anthology)
For Liz and her partner Achi, the threat begins with local legislators promising to enforce anti-gay laws. Mobs assemble to drive out people they suspect of being homosexual, and rising tension in the neighborhood sends Liz into visions of dramatic escapes for the two of them. Their story, EACH NIGHT I DREAM, is one of five intimate dramas in Stories of Our Lives, a Kenyan anthology in which love must contend with dangers both inside and outside the home.
Drawing on real incidents, these predominantly personal and domestic films explore LGBT lives in the East African republic of Kenya. They come from The Nest Collective, a Nairobi-based group working in art and activism. Many of its members keep their identities private for fear of persecution under Kenya’s notoriously harsh anti-gay laws. The film itself remains banned in the country.
The prospect of intimacy takes a very different form in DUET. Far from home, Jeff waits in a hotel room for an encounter he has spent months saving to arrange: sex with a white man, his ultimate fantasy. When the knock finally comes, however, Jeff wants to talk before anything physical happens. A conversation about interracial relationships precedes the sex he has so long anticipated.
Elsewhere, being together proves harder than finding one another. ASK ME NICELY follows Kate, a rebellious high school student whose first love is Faith, another girl at her school. Their relationship develops in secret until the principal intervenes, suspending Kate to separate them. At home, Kate impulsively has sex with a neighborhood boy. Two weeks pass before she sees Faith again; their uncomfortable reunion ends in a breakup.
In ATHMAN, the relationship at stake has lasted for years, though the two people involved want different things from it. Farm workers Ray and Athman are close friends, and Athman’s attraction to a new girl, Fiona, makes Ray jealous. When they attempt to discuss the situation, Athman reminds Ray that he is not gay. Their friendship thankfully survives the conversation, but its survival leaves Ray facing a painful decision: stay and watch the man he loves with someone else every day, or leave and never see him again.
A friendship becomes a source of outright danger in RUN. Having negotiated a business deal, Patrick happens upon a local gay bar while with Kama, his homophobic best friend. Patrick subsequently goes back for a night out, trusting that the visit will remain a secret. Kama discovers it nevertheless. The confrontation turns violent, and Patrick must flee for his life.
Limited means have not prevented the filmmakers from achieving an impressive visual result. Shot entirely in black and white, Stories of Our Lives has the unmistakable commitment of a passion project, although that commitment cannot quite overcome every limitation. A few chapters are too slight, and some performances betray the stiffness of untrained actors. Each of these stories could have used the space to develop that a full-length feature would provide.
What endures beyond those shortcomings is the courage and beauty of the undertaking. This is a timely film whose faith in hope and love stands firmly against bigotry and bullying. (6/10)