The Problematics of Language Choice in The Kenyan Film

Lessons from 'Nairobi Half Life'

Abstract

The authenticity and originality of film is not only realised through settings and events but also through actor performance (characterization) in the representation of those events and experiences. This paper analyses how choice of language in film affects actor performance especially in the portrayal of a realistic and authentic characterization, and how this impacts the overall authenticity in the film Nairobi Half Life by David Gitonga. Employing selected tenets of the realist film theory espoused by Andre Bazin, Stanley Cavel, Rudolph Arneheim and Siegfried Kraucer, the paper undertakes a critical analysis of language and performance in the selected film and looks at how choice of language aids in the enactment of character that meets the threshold of being genuine, authentic and realistic – ‘reality’ and ‘authenticity’ being at the centre of a film’s quality. It interrogates how actor performance in the scenes is affected by the spoken language used by the actor in two ways; one, whether the language spoken corresponds to the actual language used in the real world and two, whether the language chosen fits the character’s physiognomy in bringing out a genuine rendition.