2023 Show
Swahili
A glossy Kenyan music drama with better visuals than sounds
Rap music originated in the African American community, but internationally, there are local music industries diving into the genre, including countries in Africa as well. Kenyan music drama Volume puts theirs on the spotlight, through up-and-coming artist Benja trying to make his way. But the show isn’t just about a musician’s dream– it’s about the crew that surrounds him too. There’s his friend Castillo whose crime and influencer girlfriend can make or break his career. And there’s his girlfriend Lucy, who’s torn between her support and her religious family. Writer-director Tosh Gitonga balances their respective subplots well, able to maintain its watchability through its understanding of the stakes. Volume might be a familiar story, but it’s still an entertaining watch, because it understands how this dream can be tough to reach coming from a rough neighborhood, and how tough it can be to keep this dream pure and unadulterated.
While chasing his dream of making a living through music, a talented young man from humble origins gets entangled in dubious dealings.
Up-and-coming rapper Benja dreams of making a living out of his music, though this dream is challenged by his friends, his father’s own legacy, and the industry he hopes to enter.
Rap music has evolved from its roots from the 1970s African American community, currently becoming one of the most popular music genres today. To be a rapper today, it’s not just the music that’s important, it’s also the writing, the promotion, and the visuals that artists have to think about. Volume has plenty of the visuals in spades, with on-trend costumes, great camerawork and gorgeous lighting. It felt like this show could have easily launched a new rapper’s career. That being said, more attention should have been given to the music, especially given the subject matter. Volume’s visuals may be downright stunning, but it would have been more powerful if they gave equal effort to the music as they did to the visuals.
Now why does Benja have more chemistry with Ivy rather than Lucy…
Sundance
1 nom
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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