Film Review: To Catch A Dream
There are gems to be found on Vimeo, as we recently found out. Not least of which is To Catch A Dream, an innovative work produced by the Nest Collective in conjuction with fashion house Chico Leco that features one of East Africa’s true global superstars, the supermodel Ajuma Nasenyana, in her acting debut.
The film, shot entirely in Kenya, is a 13 minute film about a greiving widow (Nasenyana) who is trying to rid herself of dreams of her dead husband that torment her. According to Dolat, the Kenyan born director at the helm of the project, the aim of this film was to push the fashion into the background and have a story driven narrative.
The last time we made a fashion film we fitted the film around the models and the fashion. This time we sought to have the story at the centre.
Watching the short, it is evident the Nest has made a masterpiece of fashion and film. The clothes in the film are all designed by award winning Kenyan designers- and the fashion becomes a character in itself. Costume design in this work transcends almost anything that has come out of Kenya.
“We wanted the costumes to reflect the different phases of the widow’s journey through the dreamworld.” says Sunny Dolat, who was also involved in their previous fashion films. “At each stage of her journey we wanted her guides to represent the element that they were in.”
The filmography is excellent and the locations are breathtaking. Shot in Magadi, Lake Naivasha and Nairobi, the scenes are also designed to reflect the three elements of life- earth, air and water. The fashion may take a back seat to the story, but this only makes it stand out more. The film is shot with minimal dialogue, with Ajuma’s character (also named Ajuma) and the other actors speaking in various Kenyan dialects. It defies categorization, not a silent film and not neo noir, it somehow adds surrealism into that combination and the result is stunning.
The story is simple yet evocative, Ajuma’s portrayal of a stoic widow looking for a way to banish her dreams of her husband is moving and tragic- a reminder that there can be no escaping pain and trying to do so is to become ensnared in it even deeper. There are no tears but the tone of sadness and loss grows to a crescendo as the film approaches it’s climax, culminating in what is perhaps, despite the sweeping scenes of deserts and introspective, near intimate shots of the water crossing, the best scenes of the movie right at the end of the short.
The soundtrack, done by Jim Chuchu, is original and powerful, making for stellar listening. A fine effort from the nest collective and Chico Leco.
Watch the film here, and download the soundtrack for free here.
