Heart of Africa Movie Review & A $50 Giveaway!

This movie, The Heart of Africa, is unlike anything I've seen before. It was filmed entirely in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it shows the raw and visceral feelings of a people who have suffered from decades of oppression. The movie is mostly told in the native language with English subtitles, adding to the feeling of being immersed in another culture.

We first meet a young man named Gabriel who is trying to find his place in the world. His parents have died and he's been taken care of by a revolutionary leader who assures him of his great destiny. However, Gabriel soon finds himself running away after a terrible accident. Homeless and hungry, Gabriel meets the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is first drawn to the church because they give him food and shelter, but then joins and serves as a missionary. He's given a white companion and a charge to build an orphanage---in the hometown he's escaped from. There, Gabriel must face his demons and find his true identity.

This is a story that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. There is a wild beauty in the setting and a chaotic stillness as we experience Gabriel's search for self. The story is sometimes hard to follow because there are flashbacks that aren't clearly delineated and if you look away for even a moment, you will miss the subtitles and possibly necessary information that would further the plot. I wish there had been more time to flesh out the secondary characters, as well as the deeper issues of Gabriel's conversion and how the losses he's experienced affected his relationships, including with his companion. However, the story presented is heart-wrenching and inspirational and reminds us that faith gives us strength---no matter where we are in the world or what road we're on in our mortal journey.

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Here is what it's about:

A Congolese man runs from a terrible accident and finds himself at a revolutionary camp, where he is told that he has a great destiny. He tries to escape and start a new life by going to another town, joining a new religion, and becoming a missionary. Ultimately, though, he finds himself back in the very place he had tried to leave. He must face his fears and his shame—but also his magnificent possibilities.

Heart of Africa is the first full-length, faith-based film to come out of the nascent Democratic Republic of Congo film movement. After decades of colonial oppression and civil war, the country's scars run deep. Cinema is emerging as a cathartic new medium, and director Tshoper Kabambi is a leader of a new kind of revolution: one driven by stories that he hopes will heal the hearts of his people and the DR Congo.

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