I Am Samuel review – meditative, optimistic documentary on queer love in Kenya

Peter Murimi's film vividly conveys resilience, contrasting the intimacy of a brave couple with the brutality of prejudice

Filmed over five years, this documentary, directed by Peter Murimi, opens on a striking note that contrasts intimacy with cruelty. A date between Sam, the film's subject, and his boyfriend Alex is juxtaposed with the brutal footage of a violent attack on one of Murimi's own friends. Witnessing the tender connection between the couple in a society where people in such relationships can undergo physical harm as well as legal punishment affirms the courageous, moving joy of queer love and the bravery of the men who participate in the documentary.

Having grown up in a small Kenyan village, Sam struggles with his sexuality until he moves to Nairobi, where he finds romance and acceptance. The bustling city might seem claustrophobic, with its rows of cramped apartments, yet introspective moments, captured by shots of laundry hung on balconies, gently rustling in the wind, offer breathing spaces.