Type - Short Film
Genre - Monologue, Narrative, Anecdotal
Director - Willie Owusu
Flight Path (2015) is one of the few local films that is kept safely in my golden coffers for occasional re-watching. It is also freely available online on YouTube. I knew of this short film for a while but took time before watching it mainly because I was sceptical about the extent to which a one-scene monologue can translate to a good short film. I was not disappointed. Willie Owusu is one of the best filmmakers we have in our country and often delivers to his audience satisfactorily.
After watching almost all of his shorts, one of the reasons I probably like Owusu is because he and I are very different in our filmmaking style - Willie prefers to delve deep into scenes with elongated dialogue (or lack thereof) as opposed to a concise approach to storytelling which at times may leave an impatient audience flipping through channels - this of course is not ‘right or wrong’ but just a difference in style. For me, depth in film need not imply minutes on end of airplay but rather this could be equally achieved with sharper visuals (elaborate set design & drapery or the use of intense eccentric character-acting) or creative use of dialogue. If I was to redo an Owusu film that is 20 minutes mine would probably be 12 minutes with the same script. However, the advantage of this technique (of elongating scenes) is that it builds emotional tension where need be and makes film climaxes all the more appreciated though, should it backfire, it can be borderline boring and therefore needs a good director to execute. That said had I directed Flight Path we’d probably be talking of a 10 minute short film in contrast to the actual 29 minutes that it is, which would have probably sucked because the story here is one of the few that warrants such length.
Willie uses audio cues (sound design) marvellously in Flight Path blending it seamlessly with the narration. Another thing that makes this short a good one is the choice casting of Telly Savalas Otieno who is a remarkable actor, one you will see featured in our future list of Top 10 Kenyan Male Actors. To be honest, the casting of any other average actor to play this role would have resulted in a mess of a monologue for this particular story. From emotional content to relatability of character to realism of the monologue itself, Telly tells tales (alliteration intended!) which keep you glued for the next half hour of your time! Watching this short was akin to watching the series Banged-Up Abroad this time a ‘Kenya edition’. A much needed ‘confession’, in my view, especially at a time where many locals are running off to the diaspora in search of greener pastures, this film elaborated why such moves may not always be the best. Being the visual artist that I am I would have probably re-enacted some parts but then again that wouldn’t be much of a monologue would it? All in all, this was a great short.
By the way, I wonder how many cigarettes were smoked in the making of this film …
By the way, I wonder how many cigarettes were smoked in the making of this film …
Rating - 4/5 stars
Yay! Another spoiler-free review! Do watch it for yourself and as usual share your thoughts and comments on the film.
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