Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Watch Trailer)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, the much-talked-about directorial debut from Chiwetel Ejiofor, now finally has a trailer released by Netflix and it is moving and sad. It should have come with a warning. If you didn’t already know, the movie is an adaptation William Kamkwamba’s bestselling novel of the same, originally published in 2009.

Aside the release of this trailer, the movie will make its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival today. Based on a true story, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind follows 13-year-old protagonist William (played by newcomer Maxwell Simba). Unable to afford school fees, he finds a way of using the parts of a bicycle belonging to his father Trywell (Ejiofor) to build a windmill in a bid to save his village in Malawi from famine.

There are a range of emotions that play up in the trailer, situated in the arid topography of the remote village. It’s rousing in the way that makes your heart want to burst – scenes in which Ejiofor admonishes William to clear the land, the Malawian dialect and of course, the tears. The movie also stars Aïssa Maïga, Lily Banda, Lemogang Tsipa, Philbert Falakeza and Noma Dumezweni. That said, streaming giant Netflix is constantly proving why it’s the most dominant player in the streaming landscape, with The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind added to its robust catalogue. The movie arrives Netflix March 1 and here’s the trailer below.