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Written by Dean Kish (http://www.calgarymovies.com)
Edited by Andrew Marcus

Cast: Kim Basinger (Kuki Gallman), Vincent Perez (Paolo Gallman), Eve Marie Saint (Franca), Daniel Craig (Declan Fielding), Lance Reddick (Simon), Robert Loggia

 

Premise: This is the true, and tragic, love story of an Italian woman (Basinger) whose experiences in Kenya lead to her become an environmental activist, fighting for the protection of African animals like the rhinoceros and the elephant, with the help of her new husband (Perez) and her young son (Aiken). Overall Rating:

Rated PG-13 for brief nudity, tramatic/violent scenes

This epic true story tells the tale of a woman’s struggle to tame her new family and the wilds of Africa. Kim Basinger plays Kuki Gallman, a single mother who marries a close friend (Vincent Perez) who has dreams of running a cattle ranch in Kenya. Moving her new family to Africa, Kuki begins her journey, but the move is only half the battle, as she has to face lions, torrential winds, the culture of Kenya and even a loss that will change her forever.

"I Dreamed of Africa" is all over the map as the script tries to be a narrative chronicle of Kuki’s story, but it never delivers the depth into her mind we need. What we do get it is an outside look at her and her troubles. This bugs me because so much of this journey is a personal one.

I remember the film "Born Free", another very personal tale of a woman’s struggle in Africa. That tale was so personal that we really felt involved in who she was. "I Dreamed of Africa" has all the emotion, torment and shock that would deliver a magnificent story but the screenwriter never delivers us into the psyche of a woman going through this journey.

We get a partial glimpse into this extraordinary woman when we hear Basinger’s voice seemingly reading from the novel, but she never is fleshed out. Perhaps if they finished the whole "egg" over the bed thing, they would have been able to add that sort of depth. Why didn’t we see what was inside it? It could have helped deepen the relationship between Kuki and her husband.

Bassinger’s performance is steadfast, strong and resilient but it deserved a better place to project from. You can see deep into Basinger’s eyes the horror, conflict and emotion the character she plays is going through, but something seems to be absent; as the script never lets us focus deep into her struggle. I found myself wanting that kind of realism in this script often enough that its lack became annoying. Why can’t we see into this woman’s soul, connect with her and then learn from her?

As with every Africa movie there is always a huge allure and buzz about the breathtaking scenery. This film really does a remarkable job with that aspect, creating breathtaking atmosphere for the most enchanting moments of the film. The best moments were when we hear Kuki talking to herself. I really wish there was more of that in this personal story.

"I Dreamed of Africa" could have been a great film or mini-series if it slowed down enought to better develop Kuki and the people around her. Creating the depth would have added scope and allure to Kuki’s struggle. This concept is familiar in such films as "Braveheart" and "Dances with Wolves".

Visit Dean's website at http://www.calgarymovies.com

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