Running Against the Wind
Two childhood friends are separated by their dreams to become a photographer and a long-distance runner.
The eyes of the world may have blinked when Selemon Barega won a gold medal for Ethiopia in the men's 10,000 metres. But Addis Ababa went nuts. It was the only gold the African country won at the Tokyo Olympics, placing them 56th in the league table, tying with Portugal. Jan Philipp Weyl's debut feature opens with the words, “inspired by true events,” which is pushing it a little. Any story this personal must have its roots in something real, and Running Against the Wind certainly feels authentic. However, its two protagonists, Solomon and Abdi, are totally made up, the latter bent on competing with the Ethiopian National running team.
The opening minutes reveal Weyl's eye for the great cinematic shot as a lonely figure runs across a range of stunning landscapes. We then cut to the bush where two young boys are playing in the dust and helping out with the goats and cattle for their respective fathers. Then, when a white photographer stops to take their picture, their world is altered forever. On a whim, Solomon steals the camera and runs to Addis Ababa to feed his dreams. His journey, which would be well over 300 miles, is not shown. As with magic realism, one must take a lot of Running Against the Wind on trust, as events occur with little explanation. There are ungainly jumps from one scene to the next, with establishing shots pretty much ignored. Where Jan Philipp Weyl excels is with his picture of street life in the capital, capturing the smells and bustle with a freewheeling immersiveness. Some moments recall Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum (2018), which is high praise indeed, and it’s no surprise that Mira Nair's miraculous Salaam Bombay! (1988) was an inspiration.
As Solomon finds his feet – or not – in what is described as “the biggest village in the world”, Abdi pursues his love of running and channels his athleticism and self-sacrifice into a means to escape the poverty of his youth. There are echoes of Cain and Abel here, and some of the clichés are a little clunky. Yet the film persists in pulling the viewer in, partly thought the naturalism of the performances and partly through the vitality of the street scenes. Solomon’s daughter Fikir, played by an infant Yemariam Melkamu, never hits a false note, which is a testament to Weyl's on-set control. It’s a shame that he pushes certain elements towards a B-movie mentality, when the film would have served perfectly well without the addition of melodrama. In fact, it’s a remarkably vivid portrait of Ethiopia, both in its rural and urban extremes, and was the first local feature to be submitted by the Ethiopian government for Oscar consideration.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Ashenafi Nigusu, Mikias Wolde, Joseph Reta Belay, Ferhane Beker, Alamudin Abduselam, Samrawit Desalegn, Yemariam Melkamu, Sintayehu Geremew, Genene Alemu, Kiflom Aregawi, Dagmawit Darasfa, Mahlete Dereje, Carlo Sohn, Jan Philipp Weyl.
Dir Jan Philipp Weyl, Pro Samerawit Seid Kekebo, Chris Naumann, Andreas Seck and Jan Philipp Weyl, Screenplay Jan Philipp Weyl and Michael Wogh, Ph Mateusz Smolka, Pro Des Bartholomäus Martin Kleppek, Iraí Amana Martins de Souza and Elias Mulualem, Ed Amanuel Tilahun Tadesse, Music Teddy Mak and Stefan Postavka, Costumes Abnet Alebel.
R&B Räuber & Banditen Film/Ac Independent Film-Eureka Entertainment.
116 mins. Ethiopia/Germany. 2019. DVD and Blu-Ray Rel: 9 August 2021. Cert. 15.
