Review: I Am Slave

Gabriel Range managed to turn heads with his 2006 film Death of a President, the film that put forward a fictional account on the assassination of President George W. Bush. Now Range turns his camera to a more realistic form of fiction, creating a story centered around the rarely-discussed African slave trade that plagues Europe today in his film I Am Slave.

The film centers around a young Sudanese girl by the name of Malia who is a member of the royal family in her village. Her father, a proud and strong man, is ripped apart from his daughter in the night when northern raiders destroy their village and take the helpless youth to sell in the capital Khartoum. As a youngster of about eight-years old, Malia is purchased and put to work immediately by an overbearing housewife who trains her in the duties of cooking, cleaning, and minding the house. Malia’s age however results in a number of beatings from her “master” as tasks are not completed properly, or Malia lets her childhood spirit run free, such as playing with other children. Eventually Malia is given away by her master to a relative in London who needs help. Now at the age of 18 Malia is a virtual prisoner in the home she is responsible for in London, until the family driver urges her to find her freedom.

While Range’s previous work felt convoluted and amateur at best, a sense of maturity certainly shows itself in the work of I Am Slave. Not only is the acting memorable, Range manages to tell a tale of abuse that is coloured with hope as is seen in one key scene with Malia in Khartoum when she sees her father who has moved to the capital in hopes of finding her. Wunmi Mosaku, who portrays Malia offers a nuanced performance that is subtle but speaks volumes upon closer inspection. In fact, the closing scene which focuses on Malia, is one of the most gripping moments in film that hasn’t been seen in a long time.

The story of I Am Slave is eye-opening in itself and manages to make a very real problem a fantastic story with depth. By crafting the entirety of Malia’s story, the audience is drawn to her much more intimately. However Malia serves as the face of a very real problem, which Range never loses focus of. The gripping nature of the film creates a necessary dialogue about a problem many thought was over at the close of the 19th century; however we are shown that this past is still very much a problem of today.

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