Movie Review- Veve: A world of vengeance and power

Veve CAst

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

Emo Eugene as Kenzo

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

Also, read: Smart Money Women

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.

Authors

  • Samayala

    I am a freelance writer and a lifelong learner, currently juggling words for businesses to tell their stories. I am a reader by the day and a writer by the night. Most of the days you can find me working on blog posts for different clients, helping as a ghost writer. I write a variety of blog posts including architecture, current affairs, entertainment, sports, technology, finance, culture and more.

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  • Annabel Onyando

    The goal is impactful articles. If my words touch you; Africans of all creed and colour all over the world, and help you grow, then my work is done. Because media changes lives

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