Customer Reviews

Masai: The Rain Warriors

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Good family movie. It's a rare opportunity to experience a film that tells a story from the perspective of an indigenous people who have shunned the modern world to cling to ancient traditions that have been passed from generation to generation for millennia. Yet, the film's message is universal and timeless.

I won't reveal the story in its entirety, but I will say that the overall theme is about the journey of facing the lion, which is an aspect of Masai culture in East Africa. It is philosophically about entering manhood, learning responsibility, and working with others; And though the story makes it clear that things don't turn out perfect, the Masai sensibility pays little mind to that and focuses on the well being of the community, which is what it is all about. Face the lion and enrich your community.

The West used to call Africa the "Dark Continent" and in some ways the
description still holds because the attitudes about Africa have not changed. Most movies depict the earlier African natives as uncivilized savages or hotbeds of chaos, disease, and war. This film is a beautiful set piece that restores to the African people the dignity which they deserve.

Situated in Kenya, the Masai land is suffering from drought and famine...so the wise elders understand that the land can be cured if the Great Lion is conquered. Should that happen, the rains will arrive and bring life back to the region. So a group of teenage warriors are chosen by the village to undergo a life or death quest to find and kill the lion.

What makes the film so moving is that the Masai people and customs are shown exactly as they are...the young men otherwise are neither stick heroes or villains, but a group that fights and agrees among each other as they attempt to fulfill their quest and save their village. Filmed beautifully in color, it is epic in scope.


Everyone I have shown this film has thoroughly enjoyed it...so search it out and learn about a culture that rarely is portrayed as it actually is.

It is a rare opportunity to see Africa as it is in her native beauty, where hardship of living and sacrificing own lives for a tribal good depicted intact, not being affected yet with civilization inevitable (The Weisse Massai, for instance).

I enjoyed watching this DVD and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning about other lands.

I'm using this film in a class I teach, Cultural Anthropology. The film really makes the worldview of the Maasai come alive for students, especially the emphasis on bravery and the unity of the warriors. It's a sweet, family-fare fable that illustrates the Maasai culture. However, except for the bond between the warriors the film does not touch upon any aspect of Maasai social organization (marriage, age grades, subsistence or economy). Also, the portrayal of the ritual specialist is not flattering, especially because the subtitling uses the term "witch doctor." IF showing it to a class, skip the part where the two brothers are lost. Skip directly from the aftermath of the battle with the Turkana warriors to the battle with Vitchua the Lion. Otherwise the film moves too slowly for students.