Running Against The Wind (2021) | Review

The lives of two young men are changed forever when a photographer arrives at their small Ethiopian village. The first, Solomon (Mikias Wolde), instantly becomes enraptured by photography, desiring nothing more than to pursue the career himself. The second, Abdi (Ashenafi Nigusu), dreams of becoming a runner and of representing their country on the global stage. Both are driven to chase their own dreams: while the former runs away to the sprawling capital Addis Ababa with a stolen camera around his neck, the latter remains at home to train. Ten years later, the young athlete is on the verge of fulfilling his aspirations, whereas his childhood friend has been led into the clutches of the city’s criminal underworld. However, their paths are set to cross once again.

As this lengthy synopsis suggests, director and co-writer Jan Philipp Weyl’s (who also cameos as a helpful photographer) Running Against The Wind has a lot going on. It’s essentially the story of two dreamers whose contrasting experiences highlight the divide between the rich and the poor. One must steal to provide for his young family while the other appears on TV. 

The strongest asset of Weyl’s debut is the loving tale of friendship, through which the actors showcase their promising fresh talent. Unfortunately, the filmmaker runs before learning to walk, cramming too much into an already weighty script and watering down the emotional core until it becomes diluted fluff.

By the time the pair have been reunited in the second half, in-depth plotlines for each friend have already been established and the script isn’t sure what to do with the dangling plot threads as their journey continues. Until the climax, that is, whereupon a minor character is re-introduced for the sake of dramatic tension. This comes across as forced, with the confrontation playing out more like a comedy.

As the pair’s story progresses, the bond which made the premise so promising becomes overshadowed by everything happening around them, and the emotional connection between them and viewers gradually erodes until nothing remains.

Andrew Murray

Running Against The Wind (2021) | Review is released digitally on demand on 11^th June 2021.

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