MUBIVIEWS: THE BOY FROM GEITA [day one]

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curator's note

For the final MUBIVIEWS of the summer, our writers to consider Vic Sarin’s THE BOY FROM GEITA (2014), a harrowing documentary that examines albinism within Tanzanian culture and the people that are persecuted because of it​.

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TANZANIAN DEVILS

STEVEN FEGAN

At its core, THE BOY FROM GEITA (Vic Sarin 2014) explores the personal struggle of Tanzanian individuals who suffer from Albinism. However there are wider implications of the documentary that suggests that the government is complicit in the sale of albino body parts and therefore a more serious issue of potential corruption throughout the East African region is presented.
 
The documentary for the most part follows teenager Adam Robert, whose hands were mutilated and sold to witch doctors as it is believed that the body parts of those with Albinism will bring good fortune. By having the narrator speak candidly with Adam and other members of his community, the documentary provides a personal account and this inevitably resonates to a far greater extent than focusing on potential government involvement alone. By doing so, the documentary sheds light on an issue that may not have been as prominently covered in the media before and exposes the murdering of albino people throughout Tanzania and wider Africa.
 
Adam's personal story is prevalent throughout the documentary and it is the young boy’s lack of actual dialogue that makes his plight that much more sorrowful. Instead of addressing the brutal attack that left him without several fingers, the documentary instead focuses on Adam’s personal life goals and ambitions and even goes so far as to re-enact dreams and nightmares that the young boy has. By doing so, we are drawn into Adam’s life and are along for the journey to America where he is due to get a life-altering operation. Ultimately, what we can see carries far greater emotional impact than what we are told.

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Every day this week a different writer will provide their perspective on our MUBIVIEWS film and each post will be open to comments from our readers. Watch THE BOY FROM GEITA on mubi.com until 13 July 2017 and join the discussion!