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A Small Act (2010)
Director: Jennifer Arnold
Synopsis
A documentary about philanthorpy and the Kenyan education system.
Movie review
From Time Out London
An engaging illustration of the power of giving, this compassionate, assertive documentary begins with the story of Chris Mburu, whose life was dramatically altered by a stranger’s kindness. As a bright but deprived child growing up in rural Kenya, Mburu was chosen to receive educational funding from a Swedish sponsor. Now a human-rights lawyer working for the UN, Mburu tracks down his astonished benefactor, a retired schoolteacher and Holocaust survivor, Hilde Back. Inspired by her, Mburu sets up a sponsorship scheme of his own and the film also follows three deserving young scholars who hope to benefit from similar generosity.Infused with the unabashed optimism of Mburu – understandably passionate about education – it’s a gregarious film which avoids dry facts and political context and instead focuses on the situations, needs and voices of individuals. ‘A Small Act’ is a blazing rhapsody: an enormously big-hearted work which, in its devastating simplicity, effectively demonstrates the exponential impact of a single gesture of goodwill.
Author: Emma Simmonds
Time Out London Issue 2121: 14 - 20 April, 2011
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