Review: Why ‘Softie the Film’ is must watch

“Softie was a nickname I was given as a kid,” says Boni in one of the early scenes of Softie the Film. In Kenyan playground parlance, a ‘softie’ is a kid whose tears are never far from the surface, they cry at the drop of a hat. Today, the last thing anyone would call activist Boniface Mwangi is soft. Boniface, a husband and father of three, has faced numerous death threats, teargas, running battles with Kenya’s dreaded GSU*, rubber bullets and injuries. As an activist, Boniface’s job description involves getting arrested and roughed up by the police, going home and then waking up to do it all over again. The gains are few and far between. The average life expectancy of an activist is quite low with statistics revealing that the number of human rights activists killed in 2019 alone, is well past the double digits.

Though ‘softie’ may be a childhood nickname that he outgrew over time, the film does show a softer side to the activist. Njeri, his wife, is the heart of Softie the Film. Through Njeri, we get to experience life in the eye of the storm. She accompanies Bonnie to protests, she stands by him when he decides to ran for the Starehe seat. she is the steady rock that holds their family down and creates normalcy in a world of chaos and disruption. But at what cost?

Njeri, daughter of a warrior

The film directed by Sam Soko follows Njeri at the point when she has to leave the country due to continuous threats on her and her children’s lives. In one scene as Njeri and Boni videochat, he asks her to sing him a song and she belts out Eric Wainaina’s Ritwa Riaku.

“Animals wanted to eat me my love, as I was waiting for you”

In another scene, the family gather to pray after Boni returns home displaying a battered face, his eldest son innocently pleads with God to “tell daddy to get a better job”.

Softie the film shows a side rarely seen when it comes to activism. The family and people behind the scene. From Bonnie’s quick thinking and acerbic witted campaign manager Khadija Mohammed, to the first time excitement of his children seeing snow, completely unaware that they are living in exile. On the campaign trail, we see people demand money from him, hand outs that they promise will elevate Boniface’s presence when it comes to the ballot. It is possibly the first time the “money for votes” has been captured so starkly on camera. The situation feels hopeless.

Mtu wetu

The film thus reiterates what we already know, politics in Kenya is a sham. People will die for politicians who will use and abuse them. That the political class works like a well oiled machine that ensures the status quo is never broken. That 90% of the time, ‘mtu wetu’ (our person) does not give a damn about us or our livelihoods.

Without giving more spoilers, Softie the Film might very well be about being a modern day softie. Apathy has become the norm when it comes to dealing with Kenyan problems. When it comes to ‘fighting the system vs survival’, survival wins every time. Yet for some reason, Boniface has remained a softie, easily pained by the plight of Kenya and Kenyans.

If watching Softie the Film leaves you angry, good. If it upsets you, good, if it triggers you to think about being an active citizen, perfect. It means you are a softie as well. The challenge then is how we can put that to good use instead of perpetually complaining about a broken system.

GSU* – Armed police aka General Service Unit

Words: Naliaka Wafula

Softie the Film will be showing in the following cinemas in Kenya:

PRESTIGE CINEMA

From October 17th  2020

Ngong Road, Nairobi

ANGA DIAMOND PLAZA

October 16th  2020 to 

Thursday 22nd October 2020

Parklands, Nairobi

UNSEEN NAIROBI

Friday October 16th  2020 to Sunday October 18th 2020 

Kilimani, Nairobi

MOTION CINEMAS

From October 20th  2020

Donholm, Nairobi

RUPAS CINEMA

October 16th  2020 and 

October 22nd 2020

Eldoret

For more info visit: https://www.softiethefilm.com/watch