Guava Island could have been a lavish vanity project. Instead it's a little movie with a big heart. Full of musicality, beautiful locations, cinematography and people. Charming performances and a message to boot. It's also old school in the best possible way. Don't miss it! 8/10
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KingKongKyle13 April 2019
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AhmedSpielberg9913 April 2019It's unfortunate that all the creativity ran out of steam just when the main plot kicked off, because all the familiarity could have been easily unfelt with a bit of the imagination Hiro Murai embellished the first act with; the animated intro sequence is a case in point. Nevertheless, almost everything else in this little movie is amazing; Donald Glover's vibrant performance, and his electrifying songs, Rihanna's charisma and lovely narration voice-over, Letitia Wright's appeal (her character is completely unnecessary, though), the lively and colourful cinematography that made the titular island anything but fictional place, just to name a few!
(7.5/10) -
Pjtaylor-96-13804416 April 2019In some ways, 'Guava Island (2019)' is a feature film, albeit a very short one. In other, arguably more, ways, it simply isn't. Trying to categorise this surprise release is no easy task. It straddles the line between movie, music video, short film, commercial, art-piece, visual album and parable. Essentially, it's all of these things. Undeniably, it's a bit of an experiment. It's also, no matter which way you cut it, a story. This is a relief, regardless of the narrative's simplicity, because it allows the piece to pretty much fly by, telling a tale that actually feels quite purposeful, if well-worn, in the process. It's framed as a mother's story, which is fitting considering its fleeting and somewhat 'faded' nature, and it certainly plays out more as a kind of 'moral' than anything else. It isn't ineffective but it is, as I mentioned, rather broad, culminating in a bitter-sweet finale that doesn't necessarily hold up to all that much scrutiny. There isn't all that much emotional resonance, either. The bare-bones beats hold weight, of course, and there is some threat that causes adequate tension, but the piece seems to try every check-list trick in the book to get your tear-ducts working to no real result. Some of the themes are quite powerful but they hit the head more than the heart, which is fine but doesn't feel intentional and makes for quite cold viewing. It does feel like Glover wants to say something with this. Its actual construction is a bit bizarre, as it bounces from being a fairly serious drama to an incredibly off-beat musical from scene to scene. This causes a lack of cohesion, as does the choice to often layer the actual Gambino songs, non-diegetically, above the lead character's diegetic singing - which creates a seriously strange effect that I can't quite explain. It's also slightly strange that the music is, from what I could tell, exclusively pre-existing Gambino, but I guess that just adds to the affair's overall intangible nature. In any case, when 'This Is America' starts playing it's very distracting. Despite all this, the flick does exude a rather strong sense of atmosphere and conveys a decent amount of character, too. It isn't groundbreaking, though: the story isn't great and I wouldn't even say it's the best way to listen to the music. Still, it's an interesting quirk that's fun enough while it lasts. 6/10
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austinacl0213 April 2019So I'm a huge Gambino fan to the point where if anything Gambino related comes out, I'll automatically try to find all the good in it instead of the bad. Often times, I let my fandom get in the way of quality, but Glover is a man of quality. When I heard this project was going to happen, I had high hopes for it. All I knew is Hiro Murai was going to direct it which was a great sign, Glover would be in it, and he's bringing Rihanna along for the ride, how can he mess this up. And while it is his project, it's written by his brother. I liked this film, but I'm not letting my fandom get in the way of how I genuinely see this film as a film. It was structurally broken at points and I feel as if it used the excuse of being short to get away with less story telling. But the animated story at the beginning didn't do much for me and felt very cliche. The film only strived with the way it was shot and the music scenes, however since his music plays at points out of nowhere, it takes away from the movie and seems like either filler or just Donald giving us what he has already given us and that's a bit disappointing to me. Nothing in this film was new music wise and it feels like wasted potential to do something big. But again, I am a fan, and I overall enjoyed it, it does however have many flaws that hold it down from being way better. So would I recommend it? That depends, if you're a Glover/Gambino fan then go check it out, but if you don't like him, or are not a fan of his, you might want to steer clear from this one. 3/5
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I thought that the writing was pretty much average, but in this case, and knowing Gambino´s work as well as Murai's, I can tell that this is case in which quality of the story can be overshadowed by excellent direction and photography as well as an ambitious way to merge Gambino's music with the story itself.
It puts you in a pretty relaxing tropical vibe throughout all 55 minutes of runtime (which I find an excellent format to make movie, I would like to see more short films like this), and of course Gambino's always quirky characters makes you rapidly fall for him and his dreams.
Some things were predictable in the way the story was told, others didn't make much sense to me, but I find it to be an entertaining movie that brings you some joy and offers you a refreshing experience in the greater scheme of cinema. -
The cinematography is wonderful and watching Donald Glover perform is always a treat. That man can do it all!
This is a staple and a must watch. -
Zephrey15 April 2019So I'll start by saying the movie is enjoyable, but it has it's problematics. Biggest thing being Rihanna's character, she didn't really do anything in the film, and she just seemed so much like wasted potential, I thought she would sing at least once, but there was nothing. Secondly the major thing everyones been complaining about even the people who liked it. The movie was too short. It was too short to get attached to any of the character's, when watching Deni and Kofi on screen, I never saw them, I just saw Bino and Riri, the film is just too short to build anything up. The movie is also very guessable from the start. Now the positives of the film, The transitions of the songs were very well done, and they way they just randomly appeared was really unique, being a Bino fan it was super fun to sing along to. Then we got the aesthetic, which was super beautiful, I'm going to want a few screencaps for sure. Then of course the symbolism, lastly the Cinematography, Hiro Murai never fails to impress me, all the scenes looked beautiful. The biggest disappointment for me was not having any new Gambino music in the movie, but in all honesty if you haven't heard of Childish Gambino or don't know much about him, this might be a great chance for you to discover some of his other stuff, and you might even like the movie a lot more than me
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ks-6050024 October 2019You can say it's a musical, a drama, a horror and political theme. I wonder it will be nominated as mini film in Oscar for this movie but it's indeed it has potential. When someone has power knows people against his will, he takes whatever it takes to get what he wants. It's sad but happened. I love the one very last sentence "we got our day" and "dreams come true".
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erius211 August 2019Yup all you negative reviewers...it's NOT a movie. It's an experiment that's never been done. A chance was taken and I enjoyed it. I was left wanting more. But for a first time project like this, and nothing to compare it too, I say relax and just enjoy the music.
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muamba_eats_toast2 January 2020Very much hit and miss bad it's moments of success but to often mediocre to poor to truly enjoy the whole thing especially knowing the talent on show can do so much better.
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ivasl84 January 2021I have recently become a fan of Glover's work and it was a pleasant find when I stumbled upon this gem. Impressed by the ability to tell a story in the "this is America" music video, I wasn't surprised that some familiar names were involved in both projects. The most precious thing in "Guava island" has to be the visuals. Truly stunning from the animation to the use of colors. Also, I enjoyed how the music was incorporated. It didn't feel forced to me and it helped to build Glover's character as a person who is internally happy and ready to spread the joy. There is a lot of talk surrounding what "Guava Island" is - full-lenght movie, short film or visuals for Childish Gambino's music, but let me tell you that there is no definitive answer. However, there is no need for one, anyways. This project is simply telling us a short story, a segment of a bigger imaginary picture which bears relemblance to our society. Another review here mentioned that there were all of the components for a teary-eyed audience, but i personally didn't feel like it was expected of me to cry. This movie's aim was to convey the sense of how it feels to be around other people who are free when together, people who are able to forget about the hardship of everyday life for a minute of true joy. The villain believed that if there is no instigator, the expression of internal liberty would simply cease, but he is proved wrong, as grief is what brought people even closer. I didn't bond very well with the main characters, but that's okay, because I still got something to take from them - their story made me rethink my place in my society, which is less dystopian or isn't it?
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random-7077822 April 2019Really this sub-feature length piece simply does not work. Not only is it derivative and unoriginal, it simply seems to be a bunch of music videos mindlessly put tougher as a "film."
And you know even the makers have no faith in it given the number of shill reviews and upvotes from single use accounts -
bootermagee31 May 2019There is not much to say about this film because not much happens, it seems like Donald & staff used this as an excuse to hang out with Rihanna (why anyone would want to do that I don't know), and to showcase some of Donald's songs. Despite my opinions on this dead end movie that has no story or character arc, the musical parts are quite charming & a couple of the songs are still stuck in my head for days now, until you get to the music festival. During this lengthly scene, while the main character is performing, he has his eyes open so wide that it looks like they are going to pop out of his head, why he is doing this I don't know but it happens the whole scene & distracts the viewer from a tense build up the film is trying to accomplish. Donald Glover's acting is decent in this, just nothing interesting or memorable is done with his character aside from his music, Rihanna is extremely hollow & wooden in her performance & I don't understand why anyone would cast her in a movie no matter how high the payday is, and the talents of the brilliant Leticia Wright are completely abandoned in this movie due to lazy and uninteresting story writing. This could have been a lot better but at least the set is pretty to look at. 6 for the catchy music but if you're reading this, do yourself a favor and skip this one.
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Paglababa2026 August 2019Guava Island's (2019) narrative style is a copy of the film "The God of Small Things (2017)." The film's duration, aspect ratio, editing style, cinematography is almost exactly the same except the story of Guava Island is really weak compared to strong plot and visuals of "The God of Small Things". The scene where the music festival takes place and followed by later scenes are almost exactly the same. Both films are available on Prime. One should watch them both and judge on their own.
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sushindumplin13 May 2019Good film but while watching I couldn't help think of how much it reminds me of the Afro-Brazilian calypso themed film Black Orpheus, from the film's whole aesthetics to the plot and music. It also seems to draw inspiration from other black American and Caribbean classic films such as Carmen and the Harder they Come.
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lestradedoyle26 May 2019This is without a doubt an attempt at creating "art" rather than entertainment. But it's enjoyable. Though Donald Glover is an actor who can sing, he seems to be more a singer trying to act in this and I don't know what happened. His character is the hero of the tale, but he doesn't have as much charisma as I wanted. It is played way too seriously and too political, when the content and songs come across more like a kids musical. There are only a few S words, and a handful of H words. In the end, it would have been better if it was a full length movie with some singing by Rhianna and some jokes.
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qyancy91-197-1752482 July 2019Original music to my ears. Even the jingle was good...
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Sachin_Chavan5 May 2019There are a number if the)Have a good day that go right fir this movie. Donald's vibrant , yet mischievous personality, the seemingly extempore songs, the whole period rustic island feel, Rihanna's majestic presence, the light treatment... ans so on. One can ignore all of this and look at what all it's not. But why? Agree it's not a movie that will win festivals, but surely it's worth the hour or so I invested watching it. Don't watch it to understand what a fight for liberty is. Watch it to feel liberty - which is pure experience, free of normative expectations.
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joshuacristof-0995713 April 2019This movie isn't just about Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) it's Hiro Murai's chance to prove he isn't just a director that does tv shows. Murai branches out into a movie that's essentially a big music video with a movie type plot. Murai does not disappoint in Guava Island he perfectly captures the retro look and gets the best out of the talent in this movie. I would highly recommend this movie as the acting is superb and the direction is superb.
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frikandeln22 April 2019Talent and plot capture your mind, the cinematography is pleasing. Characters show little to no development throughout the movie, which is tragic because this leaves us with a movie that is neither short nor feature length. After watching, I felt underwhelmed considering the runtime of more than 50 minutes. I wish there were 30-45 more minutes to allow for character and plot development, or 20 less minutes of musical and reinforcing plot elements.
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BrandonH-020419 April 2019TL;DR - A pretty average movie with decent writing, a paper thin plot, and underdeveloped (but well acted) characters. However it is a fun movie to watch and you will enjoy yourself for the short 55 minute run time (probably more if you are a Childish Gambino fan like myself)
Plot - My biggest complaint with the movie as a whole. The plot in the movie is virtually non existent and just serves as a framework for events in the movie to happen the way they do. It boils down to Deni Maroon (Donald Glover) wants to throw a performance and the boss of the island (Nonso Anozie) doesn't want there to be one cause he doesn't want the people to miss a day of work. There feels like there is no conflict or any tension (which was probably what was intended) in the plot until around ¾ of the way into the movie where the movie takes a sizable risk that really does nothing in the grand scheme of the movie as it comes too late for it to have any repercussions on the plot. Overall the plot was pretty non existent and is the worst element of the film
Characters - All well acted and everyone looks like they're having a good time which translates into the actors having good chemistry with one another. All of them, excluding Donald Glover's character, are all painfully underdeveloped and it's hard to care for any of them other than Deni Maroon (Donald Glover). The main antagonist (Nonso Anozie) also has no real motivation against Deni and his reasoning is just plain stupid and irrational which makes his character pretty laughable. Kofi Novia (Rihanna) is the love interest of Deni and gets the most character development outside of Deni and although she is a large part of the story, she doesn't really do anything outside of being a plot device (and she barely is that). If anything I would have loved to see Deni and Kofi's relationship developed over more than 3 scenes in the movie. Deni Maroon (Donald Glover) gets all the development and is definitely a likeable protagonist, not much more to say about him. Yara Love (Letitia Wright) is Kofi's co-worker and serves no function in the story, best I can say about her is that Letitia looks like she's having a blast playing her in this movie.
Music - Well implemented and mixed well. Whether you like the songs in the movie comes down to personal taste (they're all part of Childish Gambino / Donald Glover's catalog of music, I won't spoil which ones). The instrumental in the background of some scenes however is great and fits the setting and tone of the movie perfectly; the best element of the movie in my opinion
Cinematography - Not much to say here, it's serviceable. However the film is presented with a weird aspect ratio that you may like or dislike
All other elements of the movie like the sound design and editing were all serviceable, nothing terrific but nothing too bad at all worth mentioning
Overall the movie works better in my opinion as an hour long music video, rather than a film as the plot and characters were either done poorly or were painfully average to the point where the music elements of the film were the shining components and show what this movie could have been with better film elements. With that being said it is most certainly a fun watch when you have an hour to kill. (5/ 10) -
cussella8 October 2019This is lost on those who are in America, by which I mean those who are swallowed by the mindset of America. ;)
I was born on the island of Key West. Where I no longer live, because I cannot afford it. It's so true, that you'll work so hard in paradise that you'll never be able to enjoy it. Or simply you cannot live there, because this is America.
The line, "Anywhere where, in order to get rich, you have to make someone else richer, is America." is on point. I should know, because I'm a business owner. The only way to get rich is to stand on the shoulders of those willing to work for less pay.
Also, most of the world has been Americanized. Your plastics are cleaned and sifted through by children and poverish families, who are managed by a "boss" in that country. Oh yeah, this hierarchy brought to you by.... America.
This is good "film", or video, or flick. Whatever the heck it is, I don't care. I grow tired of labels and critics who only have over-judgements to pass along. It's definitely not a music video. They are short and very rarely deliver any substance. If you are more into the artistic mind, and seeing the color play and deeper meanings behind the visual - you'll enjoy it. If you're looking for some SSDD CGI and to be completely distracted by loud sounds and explosions - go watch a movie.
It is shorter, but I liked that part. Because this is America and I don't have time to enjoy myself and I must go back to work. I don't have enough free time to watch 2+ hour movies like my parents did. Chop chop....
Watch it if you want something a little different. It's good when people cannot label something, it means it's bringing your brain something it cannot stick inside of an existing box. Good job.
Be aware of the life that many do not live, because of "the man". -
KalKenobi8323 July 2019Watched Guava Island with Donald Glover(Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Deni Maroon, Rhianna(Valerian And The City of A Thousand Planets) as Kofi Novia, Letitia Wright(Black Panther) As Yara Love and Nonso Anozie(Game Of Thrones) as Red Cargo.
I really enjoyed it surprisingly it was good it was basically a Musical also great characters also Amazing Performances from Glover, Rhianna and Wright also love it subtly was the music as a tool for freedom very Indie Like it was unique Short Film
Great Costume Design By Mobolaji Dawodu(The Queen Of Katwe)and Score By Michael Uzowuru(Night Shift), Cinematography by Christian Sprenger(Brigsby Bear) and Direction by Hiro Murai(This Is America) A Unique Musical Short Film 7/10 -
mdilly13 April 2019This had the feel of a short that was way too long, or a movie that was overzealously edited. No character development, no real narrative - I'd have liked to see it 30 mins longer and fleshed out properly, as at 55 minutes it falls short whilst simultaneously being too long.
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shanesedy18 April 2019I enjoy short consumable things, but this movie could of added 30 minutes to actually utilize its female leads. No offense to Rihanna's acting career, but why have her in a musical film and not have her sing? There is also virtually no point to the lovely Letitia Wright being in this movie. This "film" is a cool concept with a nice message, but it lacks depth.