The White Massai
(2005)
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The White Massai
(2005)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Nina Hoss | ... |
Carola Mamutelil geb. Lehmann
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Jacky Ido | ... |
Lemalian Mamutelil
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Katja Flint | ... |
Elisabeth
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Antonio Prester | ... |
Pater Bernardo
(as Nino Prester)
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Janek Rieke | ... |
Stefan
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Helen Namaso Lenamarken | ... |
Lemalians Mama
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Nicolas Sironka | ... |
Mini-Chief
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Damaris Itenyo Agweyu | ... |
Asma
(as Damaris Agweyu)
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Barbara M. Ahren | ... |
Carolas Mutter
(as Barbara Magdalena Ahren)
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Robert Dölle | ... |
Frank
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Barbara Herschbach | ... |
Jenny
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Morgan Lematampash | ... |
Tom
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Kiriniyaga Lenamatiyo | ... |
John
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Christine Namkuny | ... |
Saguna
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John Erick | ... |
Mike
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A girl, Carola, whose vacation in Kenya takes an interesting turn when she becomes infatuated with a Masai. Carola decides to leave her boyfriend to stay with her lover. There, she has to adapt to the Masai's way of life and get used to their food which includes milk mixed with blood. She also has to face her husband's attitude towards women and what he expects from a wife. Nonetheless, Carola is welcomed warmly into the tribe she has chosen to join. Written by Ploy P.
The movie is based on the book "The white Masai", and on the true life of Corinne Hofmann, the author of the book.
She becomes attracted to a Masai man while on a trip to Kenya, and eventually moves in with him and marries him. This movie is about love, cultural differences and hard facts of life. It is very romantic but also heart stopping in the struggles for cultural understanding.
The movie does not strictly follow the story of the book, but makes a good job of squeezing the essentials into a 2 hour movie. The tensions, the hardships etc, are well caught much thanks to good acting performances.
I really miss a lot of information in the movie. E.g. how was her relation with other people in the village, especially with "Mama" in the same hut. Also there is often a lack of explaining what other people in the tribe thought of her actions. Some cultural differences are quite insufficiently covered, e.g. how her way to talk to other men contributed to the jealousy of her husband. Many of the hardships in the book are also left out in the movie.
What is truly great about the movie and the story, is that her failures are not hidden. Its not a movie about that the native life in Africa is "so hard" for a sane westerner to live. The sacrifices made from both sides are vast, from their cultural positions and values, but still they are not sufficient to bridge the gap in so many issues.
It is a really good movie. I recommend it to anyone. Ignore the other whining comments here. The movie does a good job, if not perfect, fitting the story into a 2 hour movie. The cultural differences are there to see and think about, even if some things were left out.