The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
★★★½ — The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
William Kamkwamba was fourteen years old when, in 2001, he built a wind turbine from salvaged scrap materials and connected his family's home in rural Malawi to electricity for the first time. The feat was remarkable enough on its own terms, but it came against the backdrop of a catastrophic famine that had forced him out of school and left his community on the edge of collapse. His memoir, co-written with journalist Bryan Mealer and published in 2009, brought his story to an international audience, and it is that book which forms the source material for this film. The story sits comfortably alongside other recent dramas about ordinary people finding extraordinary solutions under extraordinary pressure, films like Mustang and Lost Boy in Juba, in that it is rooted firmly in a specific place and culture rather than generalising its subject into something more palatable for Western audiences. The production was backed by Participant, BBC Film, and the BFI, a combination that tends to signal serious, socially engaged filmmaking rather than crowd-pleasing spectacle, and that is more or less what you get here.
The film marks the directorial debut of Chiwetel Ejiofor, who had built a reputation over two decades as one of the most versatile and quietly commanding actors working in British cinema. Stepping behind the camera while also taking a role in front of it is a significant undertaking for any first-time director, and the fact that Ejiofor also adapted the screenplay himself makes it all the more ambitious a project. He plays William's father, Trywell Kamkwamba, a proud and conflicted man whose resistance to his son's plans forms much of the film's central tension. The choice to film on location in Malawi, with a largely Malawian cast and dialogue in Chichewa as well as English, reflects a clear commitment to getting the texture of the place right rather than approximating it from a distance.
At the centre of the film is Maxwell Simba, a young Kenyan actor making his feature debut as William, and he carries the film with a calm, considered presence that never tips into sentimentality. Aïssa Maïga plays William's mother Agnes, and her performance provides much of the film's emotional ballast, while Lily Banda and Joseph Marcell round out a cast that, taken together, feels genuinely rooted in the world the film is portraying rather than merely visiting it. For anyone with an interest in drama drawn from real events, or in stories that engage honestly with life on the African continent (a space that cinema has too often reduced to backdrop rather than subject), this is a film worth sitting with.
A-Z World Movie Tour Malawi Such a moving and inspiring true story, beautifully told, with real people at its heart and a deep respect for resilience, education, and family. The cinematography is stunning; the landscapes feel alive, and the music wraps everything in warmth and soul. It’s hard not to be emotionally invested in this journey, especially when you know it’s based on real events. Chiwetel Ejiofor directs with care and authenticity, and the performances feel genuine and powerful throughout. That said… I think it could’ve lost about 25 minutes without losing any of its impact. Some scenes drag, and the pacing sags in the middle. Still, it’s a beautiful film, just one that could’ve been even stronger with a tighter edit.
Given all of that, the pacing issue is a genuine shame, because everything else here earns your full attention. I found myself completely absorbed in William's world for long stretches, and then suddenly aware that the film was testing my patience in ways it really did not need to. A tighter cut would not have diminished any of the warmth or the weight; if anything it would have sharpened both. It is the kind of thing that makes you respect a film even as you wish it trusted itself a little more. Still, a flawed film that means something is worth considerably more than a polished but unremarkable one that does not, and this one stays with you long after the credits roll.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2019 | Watched: 2025-07-15
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon US
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from United Kingdom: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) · Blue (1993)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
More history: Apocalypto (2006) · Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury (2013) · Harakiri (1962) · Night and Fog (1956)
