I Am Samuel

Samuel grew up in the countryside in Kenya, within a conservative family who values tradition above all else. Although close to his family, his father, a preacher at the local church, holds ideologies very different from Samuel, and continually questions why his son has not married. After moving to the city of Nairobi, Samuel finally finds the freedom and community he has always been searching for, but risks estrangement from his family back home. Facing the greatest dilemma of his lifetime, he must gain the courage to return to his community and reveal his truth to his family. Will Samuel be able to balance two diametrically opposed worlds, or risk losing his parents in order to pursue his own path in life?

The other part of the story is Alex, Sammy's boyfriend, who is already estranged from his father when he was outed by a relative. Here, Sammy brings him home as a "friend" (confusing, as he also brings along the producer / cameraman). While there is a gay community in Nairobi, being gay is not safe, as homosexuality is still illegal in Kenya. Meanwhile, Sammy is still drawn to "home".

I saw this at the Hot Docs Film Festival, and from the Q+A, this was filmed over 5 years, as the director built trust with the various participants. My problem here is the compression in time in the later parts of the film, which makes certain changes appear to happen too fast.