Veve is Sheng for Khat, also known as miraa in Swahili. The scientific name is Celastrales Edulis. The movie Veve released on May 14, 2017, has Simon Mukali as the director and Natasha Likimani as the scriptwriter. According to critics, the film was a game-changer in the Kenyan entertainment industry. The script is in Sheng, a mix of Swahili, vernacular and English slang.
The Story
The movie starts with documentary-style footage by Clint. The wannabe documentarian depicts the unregulated Veve Industry and business owned by Amos, a local MP. Hungry for power; he runs for the Governor seat in Maua. His rival is Wadu, and Esther is his beautiful wife, who feels unloved. Sammy, the right-hand man of Amos, is serious about his work and reasonably competent with the farmers. Then we have Kenzo, an ex-convict seeking revenge on his father’s killer.
A lot of events take place in the first half of the movie, building up the shrewd personality of Amos. This is the tip of the iceberg. As the plot develops, we learn more about the characters and their interwoven lives with vengeance and power.
The movie does justice to real-life politics in Kenya, where power and conspiracy are common.
The Actors
Onyema Onwuka did a reasonably good job with the casting as the actors look good in their roles. However, Lowry Odhiambo, the lead, does not look cunning. I suppose that is how crafty people look to be convincing. As a shrewd politician, he doesn’t portray a very slick Amos who can cross all the limits. Amos looks more of a greedy businessman, always working on the advice of others. The other characters portray their roles better, making the movie great despite his flaws. This is because of their different life stories. Abubakar Mire didn’t get much of the talking part in the film. However, his comebacks are hilarious, and he has got great timing. His scenes might make you chuckle.
Cast
Lowry Odhiambo as Amos
Lizz Njagah as Esther
Abubakar Mire as Wadu
Conrad Makeni as Sammy
Joseph Peter Mwambia as Mzee
David Wambugu as Kago
Adam Peevers as Clint
Delvin Mudigi as Julius
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Technical Construction
Overall, the movie gives an authentic feel by using Sheng. Casual and simple costumes of the cast were able to communicate to the local audience. The film shows how the Khat trade influences rural Kenyan society.
The different departments of the movie had talented people from eleven countries. Therefore, we see extraordinary attention to detail and sound background research.
The filmmakers were successful in giving a wake-up call to the political world. Now, let’s look at a few aspects that I found great and a few that could have been better.
Thumbs up
While most of the movie is about commercial success, Veve depicts realistic scenarios of rural Kenya. The cinematography is outstanding, and the score by Matthias Petsche reflects the energy of the story.
Thumbs down
With so many characters in the full feature script, the characters were underdeveloped. Maybe this should have been a series? There is so much more to tell and possibilities of developing the story in myriad ways. Things happen too quickly in the first half of the movie. The plot seems burdened with a lot going on.
Rating
I would give the movie 8.5/10. The cinematography and script are one of a kind. It provides a voice to a deeply rooted problem in society and how it is destroying people of every age.
If you find the movie review intriguing, watch Veve on platforms like Netflix.
