Popular reviews

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  Review by deah ★★★★

  pynk 💕 like the inside of your abandoned camper van

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  Review by Lucy ★★★★ 1

  AFI 2018: film #17

  “something real”

  super cute and the aesthetic really worked, it was vibrant and easy to get into with more serious storylines mixed in really organically. i think some people might be expecting too much from it, but for a sweet and simplistic movie this was really enjoyable

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  Review by Lexi ★★★★

  The way the gay man sits next to Kena in silence speaks so loud. Black lesbians in colors especially in pink!!!

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  Review by Aaron Michael ★★ 4

  So much about this makes it a delight to watch – beautiful set design, rich and bright colors, engaging performances, and a moving story of first love. 

  Unfortunately, the plot is rather weak and poorly constructed, the editing is rough (I actually thought there was something wrong with the projection at one point), and the writing/characterizations of several characters and plot points feel rather scattered and inconsistent. Shows a lot of potential, but as a film, it’s disappointing.

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  Review by Matt Singer ★★★½

  Simplicity of style, but not of emotions. And so colorful, too. What a lovely little movie.

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  Review by Holli ★★★½

  manages to be both a cute love story and a serious look at homophobia without feeling too overwhelmed. its simplistic but so genuine. such an important piece told from a very unique and necessary viewpoint. far from perfect, but it's so compassionate and real that the flaws seem insignificant. i don't see how anyone could dislike this.

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  Review by Jaime Rebanal 🇵🇸 ★★★½

  For many reasons I'm really glad that this movie was made, but it's also a film that I struggled to connect with.

  Being the first LGBT film produced in Kenya, and having been banned in its home country for that very reason, Rafiki is a film whose importance rings clear. Wanuri Kahiu's directorial debut is a tale of love whose innocence feels ever present, but for a first feature it's also one of the most visually astonishing films that I've seen in a while as the colours here are to die for.

  I feel as if the fact that this seems like a story I've seen told to the screen numerous times had taken a damper on my own ability…

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  Review by Jeff 🇵🇸 ★★★★

  if only film twitter made real noise for black lesbian cinema like this  😴

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  Review by Frances Meh (mirthful edition) ★★★½ 3

  She was gay in Kenya so as punishment her parents sent her to...London? That’s some big brain shit right there.

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  Review by sakana1 ★★★★ 21

  According to Rakifi director Wanuri Kahiu's 2017 TED Talk, Afrobubblegum art represents: "a fun, fierce and frivolous representation of Africa." In order to qualify as Afrobubblegumist, she says, a work of art must:

  1. Feature at least two healthy Africans ...
  2. ... who are financially stable (and do not need saving) ...
  3. ... and are having fun and enjoying life.

  Rakifi, despite its dark moments, is fiercely, proudly Afrobubblegum. Celebrating the audacity, passion, and independence of two girls in love, it's a movie about potential; about falling in love; about discovering how far you will go for someone who has burrowed their way into your heart.
  
  It's also a film about oppression — one in which people believed to be…

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  Review by 🌻 lindsay 🌻 ★★★★

  the COLORS in this movie 👌🏻💕💖💘💗💓💞💝🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

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  Review by claira curtis ★★★★

  “We’re gonna be something.” 
  “Something real?” 

  Queer women in love in Kenya!!!!! 

  A special, intimate film that is bursting with vivid colors and chemistry between its leading women, Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva. 

  Both an examination of the societal and legal pressures with Kenya and the butterfly inducing thrills of finding someone you love, Rafiki is a quick watch, but an impactful one. 

  Watch 19/29 of my Black Cinema Challenge