Review by Margaret Pomeranz

The story of an 84 year old Kenyan man Maruge, OLIVER LITONDO, who insisted on his right, as offered by the government, to a free education, is the subject of the film THE FIRST GRADER. When Maruge turns up at the village school he's initially turned away by the principal Mrs. Obinchu, NAOMIE HARRIS, but his persistence eventually wins her over.

In the 1950's Maruge had taken the Mau Mau oath to free Kenya from British colonial rule. He had been captured, tortured, his family destroyed. Memories of those times haunt him still. In the present however his attendance at the school causes problems.

This often moving film was directed by Justin Chadwick who made THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. Performances are solid, Oliver Litondo brings a lovely dignity to his role as Maruge. The film is occasionally overtly sentimentally manipulative but this doesn't detract too much from the heartfelt nature of one man's struggle to learn to read and write. The African locations are used to good effect as are the cute faces of some of the children in the classroom. But beware, some of the scenes of torture, although fairly discreetly handled, are confronting.