January 23, 2008 -- This documentary relies a little too much on the old formula of the underdog sports movie, but it has a lot more substance to it than that. The film follows the students of a small, impoverished school on the frontiers of rural Uganda as it competes against better-funded urban schools in a national musical dance competition at Kampala. Profiles of several students reveal their personal tragedies because of violence. Several students are orphans, their parents having been killed by rebels operating in the area of the school, near a refugee camp and military barracks. The cinematography in the film is excellent. There are striking, evocative images of both people and scenery.

The music is wonderful. It is composed of standard European-style melodies, native traditional songs and dances, and music composed by the students themselves. This film will definitely have you rooting for the underdog. Many of these students are very talented, including a remarkable young xylophone player. This film is a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit. It is a tribute to the healing power of music. It is a tribute to the value of artistic education. It is a tribute to the beauty and richness of African culture. The students long journey by bus from the Patongo refugee camp to Kampala may as well have been a journey from the moon to earth. These are two different worlds and the students were clearly out of their element. Although they belong to the broken and scattered Acholi tribe, their royal tribal dance, the Bwola, seems to strengthen their tribal identity. You can see the pride in their faces when they talk of their dance. Dancing the Bwola gives them the power to compete against 20,000 other schools.

The film is also a reminder of the evil that exists in our world. Several of these same students tell horrible stories of how their parents were killed. In several instances, the children return to the site of their former village to see where there parents were killed and where they are buried. Some of the scenes are heart-rending. One child who was captured by rebels quietly talks about how he was forced by rebels to murder people as a sort of initiation rite. These enormous tragedies are what set this film apart from the standard sports formula movie about competition. These children have gone through tremendous tragedy, pain, suffering and emotional loss. They continue to live in danger and poverty. Yet music still has the power to lift their hearts. They somehow find the strength and joy to compete against children from comfortable backgrounds. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2008 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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