I think that this is a landmark moment in Zimbabwean film history. A film from Zimbabwe, now appearing on Netflix for the first time? Absolutely monumental. Whilst it may seem small in the grand scheme of things, this is ground-breaking for Zimbabwean cinema and I guess it finally puts them on the map of the film world.
I must stress that this is only the beginning. Nevertheless, this is an exciting beginning and flying the flag for the country, we are looking at the film Cook Off (2017). Another thing to add is the minimal budget that was used to make this film. Only $8,000 to make this film! For such a small amount, that is an incredible testimony for the creators of the film (and everyone else involved) that are now reaping what they sowed 3 years ago when the film first came out.
The film is a romantic comedy based in Zimbabwe and follows the life of a single mother, Anesu, who has a great passion for cooking. There is an opportunity for her to enter a cooking show, Battle of The Chefs, she is discouraged by her mother, leading to the protagonist talking herself out of going onto the show. Despite that, Anesu's son believes in her dreams and enters her for the show anyways.
We see Anesu attempting to realise her dream throughout the film and the obstacles she faces while competing on the cooking show. We also meet a potential love interest named Prince who is competing with Anesu; funnily enough and we see the relationship between him and Anesu really blossom- especially when faced with different challenges.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film and one of the reasons is the authenticity. Everything about the film was Zimbabwean: the humour, the culture, the mannerisms and the language- the use of Shona vernacular mixed with English. It was all so exciting to see and it was really refreshing to see culture represented in a positive way; to show Zimbabwe in the way that Zimbabweans would see their country (unlike the western perspective that often leads to misrepresentation of the country as we've seen countless times in the media). I think that the storyline was well thought out and it was very easy to follow.
However, I do think there a few things that stood out to me that perhaps could be noted. The dialogue between the characters felt a little unnatural. As a result of this, I think there was a missed opportunity on the character development in the film.
I am equally quite mindful that there is only so much you can do with a such a small budget and this means that there are some things that will have been prioritised over others. There is an abundance of potential for the Zimbabwean film industry and hopefully with a bigger budget, there is more license for the directors and actors to really flourish.
I have high hopes for Zimbabwean cinema, there's a lot to improve on but then again you could say that for every country's cinema industry. I do recommend this film, as it is thoroughly enjoyable, and it is one for the family to watch too.
Until next time.
Picture reference: https://twitter.com/cookoffzim
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