Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Bobi Wine: The People’s President is streaming on Disney Plus at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. No Common Sense rating. Mr F says 14+.
STORY: A-
The film focuses more on the man than the situation around him.
Sometimes the best way to explain huge topics is to focus in closely on one person instead of trying to grasp the full picture. Many war films use this strategy. They follow a single soldier or a small group of soldiers instead of trying to show the war in its complex entirety.
This film spends enough time to give you a minimum understanding of the Ugandan political situation. But for the most part, it follows Bobi Wine and his presidential campaign.
An overload of statistics rarely compels people to take action. A person’s story does. A story like Bobi Wine’s.
PEOPLE: A
An absolutely extraordinary man.
When we meet him at the start of the film (in 2013) Bobi Wine is a cool, down to earth dude from the Ugandan ghetto (as he tells it) who rode his musical talent to riches.
He eventually challenges the autocratic president in the 2021 election, who then wages a literal terrorism campaign against Wine and his team.
Wine is an important reminder that huge social change begins with regular human beings.
FILM NERD STUFF: B
The colorful, kinetic camerawork makes the Ugandan people shine.
Huge populations of poor people are often lumped together and subjected to the danger of the single story that Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie warns us about. The lively cinematography captures the humanity of the Ugandan people, making it impossible for us to view them as a simple statistic ever again.
SONG OF MYSELF (Elective Class): A
An unforgettable portrait of an authentic life.
I wouldn’t want to trade lives with Bobi Wine, but I’m beyond jealous of how authentic a life he’s decided to live. When asked to turn his lyrics into action, he doesn’t hesitate. It’s a single decision that transforms his entire life, and he never looks back.
So many singers boast about their personal beliefs, but how many of them would make the same choice as Bobi WIne? How many of us would?
Maybe we should all be made to write songs of our own lives. Songs that show what we stand for. Songs that show what a life well lived is supposed to look like. Songs that we’re required to perform publicly over and over again. Maybe if we all did that, it would be easier to make the right choice when we are called upon to do something incredible.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Bobi Wine: The People’s President makes a handful of strong statements. It shows us the dangers of allowing people to remain in power without accountability, and it shows us the sacrifice and hope necessary to rise against it. Both insights are vitally necessary for today’s world. The film contains vital, essential lessons for every country across the globe, including our own.