You get a real sense of place when watching Escape from Luanda - the sights and sounds of this busy west African capital seem to come flooding through the TV speakers. But more than that, it's the music which lifts the heart. What comes though so beautifully in this film is the strength, determination and love of music of the students who are trying to get to the end of their course. Phil Grabsky, once again, gets under the skin of the main protagonists of his movie. (Have you seen The Boy who plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan?) In Escape from Luanda you see the students' passion for music and the joy they get from their art - making music. These are just ordinary folks who are trying their best against the backdrop of their country which has been totally ravished by the civil war there - nearly 30 years of devastation. Often they go hungry. Some of them don't have the support of their families. But each of them is an inspiration to people like me who live a privilege existence in the western world. It's a rare opportunity to get such a good feel for a place that most of us will never get to visit and an understanding of the people who live there. Phil Grabsky's film is beautiful, moving, an education but it's also funny and touches the soul.
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elodiechambers22 October 2008
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katiered-26 November 2008Having not known much about Angola before I found this documentary really interesting and informative. The film offers a moving illustration of three driven and talented individuals.What i really liked was that students were pretty much the storytellers and you got a real sense of their lives and the challenges they face while trying to follow their true passion. I read in early 2008 that Angola hosted the first Miss Landmine competition as its one of the most heavily mined places in the world, does anyone know if a documentary has been made about this? I think the stories of the participants could be very interesting.
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sal_den200022 October 2008I loved this film! Escape from Luanda made me realise how tough it is for ordinary people in Angola trying to do something different and good with their lives. All they want to do is 'escape' to a better place through the joy of music. I have to say, I do like the films that Phil Grabsky makes. I've only see a couple of others - The Boy who plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan and In Search of Mozart - the first of these is about a little boy who lives in rural Afghanistan and gives us an amazing insight in life for him and his family is this harsh place. In Search of Mozart is a brilliant biopic about the composer - it's beautifully shot and is jam-packed with Mozart's music - I loved it - one to watch again and again.
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bluedaniel-122 October 2008I watched this documentary when it was aired on More 4 last year and was thoroughly impressed. The documentary really captures the determination Alfredo, Domingas and Joana have with their music despite the struggles they face on a personal and social level. The film manages to be funny and moving as well as being a useful insight into Angola. It would be really interesting to know how Alfredo, Domingas and Joana are doing now. Is there a follow up in the pipeline? If you liked this documentary then i would recommend "We Are Together" which follows the story of the children's choir at the Agape orphanage in South Africa, a very inspirational film.