Munzira

Munzira
File:Munzira.png The film's theatrical release poster
Directed by	Isheanesu Chavunduka
Written by	Kuenda Mnangagwa
Produced by	Issac Lepolesa
Starring	Farirai Chikuhwa Kim Merhawi
Production company	KudaProgress Studios
Release dates	28 October 2023 (2023-10-28) (Montecara Film Festival) 1 December 2023 (2023-12-01) (International)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	Rwizikuru
Languages	Estmerish Rwizi Akortu
Budget	295 billion Rwizikuran shillings

Munzira (Rwizi for On the Road) is a 2023 Rwizikuran road drama by KudaProgress Studios that is primarily in Estmerish and Rwizi. Set in modern-day Rwizikuru, it is about two women travelling on a road trip from Port Fitzhubert to Rusere to start their new lives in Rusere, and how they get to know one another better over the course of their journey north.

The film is scheduled to be released at the 84th Montecara Film Festival on 28 October, 2023, with a worldwide release scheduled for 1 December, 2023.

Plot

File:Munzira scene.jpg

A still from Munzira

The film begins with Morning Mkwananzi (Farirai Chikuhwa) receiving her diploma at the University of Rwizikuru with a degree in psychology. After she receives her diploma, she headed back to her flat that she shares with her roommate, Karen Habtom (Kim Merhawi), who is an influencer on PinPin, to discuss their future plans. Morning Mkwananzi said that she intended on "getting some experience up in Rusere for a few years before immigrating to Estmere to further my education." Karen Habtom said that her future plans was to "save up enough money to buy a mansion in Riversdale" and live off her influencing earnings.

As Karen continues to elucidate on her plan, she receives a phone call from her father. After answering it, she told Morning that "my plans have changed," and that her father "wants her to go back home to settle down and have a family." After Karen clarified for Morning that her family lives "in and around Rusere," she suggested that they "go on a road trip together." Morning accepted Karen's offer.

After a few days packing up and negotiating with the landlord to terminate their lease, both Karen and Morning left their flat for the final time. They get in to Karen's car, a TBD Century, and leave their neighbourhood in Marara to head onto the M2. The journey is uneventful as they leave Port Fitzhubert behind and travel towards Vongai.

However, at Vongai, the journey began to be more difficult as the M2 was under construction. While it took them only four hours to travel from Port Fitzhubert to Vongai on the M2, it took them another four hours to travel to Chimutengwende, along the banks of the Rwizikuru River. By that point, the sun began to set, and they needed to find a place to stay in Chimutengwende. They ultimately find a hotel at the edge of town, but with only one room remaining, they both agree to share the room.

In the middle of the night, Morning woke up to use the washroom when she felt someone is staring at her. After waking up Karen to tell her that "some man is trying to break into our room," she turns on the light to find an elephant sticking their trunk into their room. Terrified, they yell for help, and the guest next door, Gobetween Chimutengwende (Jongwe Mwaruwari) ran into the room and was able to get the elephant to leave the window. After Morning and Karen thank him for getting the elephant away, Gobetween demanded "some form of payment." Morning gave Gobetween 100,000 shillings (approximately €3.40), and after some thought, Gobetween accepted the money and left the room.

The following morning, Morning and Karen continued on their journey, leaving Chimutengwende behind. As they travelled on the poor quality road between Chimutengwende and Shumba North, Morning and Karen discussed their past: Morning grew up in a middle-class family in Chekumabvazuva while Karen grew up in an upper-class family in Rusere, but her parents were both originally from the village of Metsabo. They then reminiscenced about their time at the University of Rwizikuru: although Karen dropped out of the university while part way through her own psychology degree, in order to focus on her "burgeoning career" as an influencer, she expressed regret that she threw "her own future away" in the search of fame, when "barely anyone outside of the Fitz knows who" she even is. Morning expressed the wish that she had the "luxury to throw away [her] degree," and that she would've told her younger self to get into her "true passion of Bahian languages and literature."

After three hours, they arrived at Shumba North, where they refuelled their car for the next part of their journey to Pikirayi. After refuelling, and getting some snacks for the road "like we are Rizeans or Cassiens," they left for Pikirayi.

As they travelled to Pikirayi, Morning asks Karen why did she get into influencing in the first place. Karen said that she was a fan of "several Estmerish and Rizean influencers" and that she noticed that the quality of "most local influencers" were poor, so she wanted to "be just as good as the Estmerish and Rizeans and show that us Rwizikurans can be as good as the rest." However, Karen goes on a tangent on the nature of Rwizikuran identity, saying that her Akortu identity "is at odds with [her] Rwizikuran identity" because of the conflict between the Akortu National Salvation Army and the Rwizikuran government, despite her family being "closely aligned with the Rwizikuran government."

Karen said that "whenever I go to the Northern Territory, I get questioned by a soldier every now and then who thinks that I am helping out the terrorists," and that because of that, she "has to speak Rwizi to reassure him that [she was] not a terrorist." Morning listened to Karen outlining how she felt "on the periphery of Rwizikuran society," before Karen asked her about Rwizikuran identity.

Morning responded by saying that at her school, "Rwizi and Rwizikuran were one and the same," and that those who were not Rwizi were seen as not being "true Rwizikuran," but that at the University of Rwizikuru, she discovered that "there are many Rwizikurans who are true Rwizikuran even though they are not Rwizi," such as Karen.

Karen told Morning that her comment was racist because it suggested that Karen was "a credit to her race" and implied that other Akortu were not "true Rwizikurans," and asks Morning to apologise. Morning apologised to Karen and promised to "never imply that Akortu aren't Rwizikuran again."

By the time they reached Pikirayi after another three hours, the road quality improves significantly, and in just under an hour, they reached the city of Munzwa. With the sun setting yet again, the two of them decide to first stop by a restaurant before heading to a hotel. At the restaurant, Morning and Karen sat together at a table, enjoying their fish and chips. As they discussed their future plans, one of the other patrons (Buve Masiyiwa) recognises Karen from her PinPin, and heads to their table where he requests an autograph from her. She grants his request, but soon after, more people recognise her and demand autographs from her. One person (Bill Mutambara) asks Karen if she and "that gal at your table" are lesbians. Both look offended and reply with an emphatic "no," but he refuses to believe their denials, and accuses them of "perverting our children."

In response, Morning calls for a waiter to request a cheque for their meal so that they can leave the restaurant as quickly as possible, and the waiter agrees. However, when she suggests taking the leftovers with them, Karen said no, claiming that "cold fish and chips taste awful."

After leaving the restaurant, they headed to a fancy hotel in the middle of the city. After the hotellier (Jake Douglas) recognises Karen from her PinPin videos, he upgrades them to the royal suite to stay the night. Morning says that it was "the first time she ever stayed in a royal suite before," and takes in the suite, while Karen filmed a video praising the accommodations at the hotel she is staying at with her "close friend."

The following morning, they receive room service, with both of them having a roast dinner for breakfast with cider on the side. After finishing their meals, Karen pays for the stay, before she and Morning leave the city on the M2. While they expected a smooth ride to Guta raMambo, at the village of Nyaradzo, they find out that the M2 is closed between Nyaradzo and Knowleston, forcing them to go on a detour to the village of Matombo.

After five hours, they barely arrived into Matombo, when their car broke down. As neither of them know how to repair a car, they try finding a car repair shop in Matombo, only to find none. However, a local man, Absalom Hanson (Abiel Leeper), offers to repair the car despite "his lack of familiarity with luxury cars," and a place for them to stay the night. Seeing no other options available, Morning and Karen accept Absalom's offer to repair the car.

As Absalom was busy trying to "patch up the car," the two of them explored the village of Matombo. Not finding much to do, they returned to Absalom's house, where they learnt more about village life in Matombo. While Karen grew bored of listening to Absalom's wife (Fidelity Bradshaw) teach them about Matombo's history, Morning is entranced, as she "never knew a lot about life out in the countryside."

The next morning, after having a traditional Rwizi breakfast, Absalom told Karen and Morning that he "fixed the car as best as" he could, and he was "confident that it'll be able to go to Guta raMambo or back to Munzwa." Karen offers to pay Absalom 5 million shillings (approximately €170.00), but Absalom refuses the money, saying that he did "what anyone would do in that situation." After thanking Absalom and his wife for their hospitality, they refuelled at the local petrol station, before leaving Matombo on the road to the village of Gumede.

The road to Gumede from Matombo is rough, and passed through thick jungle. During this part of the journey, Karen observed that "we are on day four of our trip north to Rusere," and that if they were in Estmere travelling from Bouley, "we would have reached Priedīši by now." When Morning pointed out that Priedīši was not in Estmere, Karen responded "yes, exactly, that's the point: and that's because of the detour we had to take."

After four hours, they reached Gumede, and passed through it on their way to Guta raMambo. Another four hours later, they crossed the Chitsvene River and enter the city. With their car breaking down again, and the day coming to an end, they decided to find a repair shop to take in their car, and take a taxi to "the best hotel in Guta raMambo."

Unlike Munzwa where Karen was able to secure a royal suite for Morning and herself, Karen got a regular room in an "inexpensive hotel," and they found themselves having to share a bed once again. However, the night passed uneventfully, and after having breakfast, they return to the repair shop where the owner (Rattle Mutambara) found "a whole host of defects" and charges them 500 million shillings (approximately €17,000.00) for them to repair the car. After Karen agreed to pay the money to the repair shop, they found themselves stranded in the city of Guta raMambo.

While they explored the surrounding areas, Karen complained that Guta raMambo "is even more boring than Matombo," and that "nothing ever happens in the city." Morning explained to Karen that "it is boring because the only people who live here are bureaucrats and the royal family: anyone else who doesn't work for the government will find another city to live in."

Later that evening, Karen received a call from the owner of the repair shop, who told her that the car is fixed. However, upon her arrival at the repair shop, the owner said that "we found more issues" and demanded 2 billion shillings (approximately €68,000.00) for them to rectify the problems "in a timely fashion." Suspecting that the owner was trying to "bleed her dry," Karen attempts to haggle with the owner to a "more reasonable sum," only for the owner to tell her that "either you pay to get your car back when it's fixed" or he would sell it to "a man who knows how to drive."

Karen reluctantly paid the owner the 2 billion shillings, but told him that if "it is not fixed by tomorrow," she would let Guta raMambo know about his business practices on PinPin.

After returning to the hotel, Morning asked Karen why did she pay the money to the owner when "we could have just taken a train to Rusere." Karen said that "it would not be a road trip without a car," and that bringing the car back to Rusere would show her parents that she "succeeded in the city" even though she dropped out of the University of Rwizikuru. Morning found the argument hard to rebut, and they decide to take a taxi to a fancy restaurant in Guta raMambo.

At the restaurant, where they ordered a "simple Rwizi meal," Karen and Morning both discussed "the incident in Munzwa," and the nature of love, with Karen and Morning naming their crushes and discussing what they liked about them. Morning finally says "of all my crushes I ever had, my favourite crush is..." before being interrupted by a waitress asking them if they wanted dessert. They both decline and ask for the cheque. After the meal, they returned to the hotel by taxi: on the way back, Karen asked about Morning's favourite crush, and Morning responded with "some guy who moved to Morwall."

The next morning, Karen receives a phone call from the repair shop that her car is fixed. When they both took a taxi there, the owner said that "the car is now fixed," and apologises for his attitude towards Karen and Morning. With the car now fixed, they could now leave Guta raMambo on the M2 towards Zambuko. Much like the first bit of the journey between Port Fitzhubert and Vongai, the journey is uneventful, and they reach the city in four hours.

There, they reach the first security checkpoint: as Karen was driving the car, she is pulled over and questioned over her connections to the Akortu National Salvation Army. She responds in fluent Rwizi denying any connections and that she had "finished her education in Port Fitzhubert and was returning home to Rusere." After being allowed to continue on her journey towards Coghlan, the M2 degraded in quality again, causing them to take four more hours to get to Coghlan.

Upon their arrival in Coghlan, and with the sun setting, Karen calls a friend who lives in Coghlan and asks him if they could "crash on their couch for the night." He responds in the affirmative, and they arrive at his house. Karen introduces Morning to Ken Bukata (Kasuba Kangwa), who introduces himself to her. However, Ken decides to catch up with Karen, while Morning decides to go to sleep for the night. The following morning, after having breakfast at Ken's house, Karen and Morning refuelled at the local gas station and buy some more snacks for the road. They then leave Coghlan and travel on the road to Konkalesa.

As they travelled towards Konkalesa, they reflected on the journey that they have made: Morning said that "travelling by car, I got to see far more of the country than I would have on the train," and thanked Karen for giving her the opportunity. Karen said that she thought that "we have become closer than ever" on the journey, and that they got to "know more of each other than we ever did back in Port Fitzhubert."

When they reached Konkalesa five hours later, they noticed the Ambakaran Mountains in the distance, with Karen crying tears of joy over seeing her "familiar mountains that protect us." Morning, who had never been this far north was "impressed" with the mountains, saying that "if they are this beautiful from here, then I can't imagine how beautiful they will be up in Rusere." After changing drivers, they passed another security checkpoint, and got through the checkpoint much more quickly because Morning was driving.

After passing through the checkpoint and travelling a distance from it towards the village of Trinity, Karen said that Morning got through the checkpoint more quickly than she did in Zambuko despite being closer to ANSA territory. Morning agreed but did not say anything in response.

As they headed towards Trinity, they discussed about the best places to live in Rusere, as Morning intends to move there. Karen said that "the best places to live are obviously east of High Street," and that her family lives on the east side of town. However, Karen knew that Morning does not have much money to buy a home, and said that "if you really want a place of your own, I'd probably look at one of the older neighbourhoods west of High Street: they're cheap but they're habitable." However, Karen insisted that Morning visit her family in Rusere, as she believed that "they will like you." Morning accepted Karen's offer, saying that "of course I will: I would love to meet your family."

Upon their arrival at Trinity, they noticed the sun setting. However, Karen felt that "we've been travelling for too long," and suggested that they "drive through the night all the way to Rusere." At the security checkpoint at the edge of town, a soldier, Kuda Tigisti (Kupakwashe Ndlovu) advised them to "stay the night in Trinity," warning them that if they travelled at night, they would be "victims of an ambush."

However, Karen offered Kuda thirty million shillings (approximately €1,020.00), and Kuda decided to allow them into the military convoy that would travel to Rusere from Trinity during the night. After thanking Kuda for letting them travel, the convoy set off for Rusere. With the road being better in quality than the road between Zambuko and Trinity, the convoy was able to reach Rusere in just under two hours. The military vehicles headed towards the base in Rusere, while Karen and Morning's car travelled to a restaurant, where Morning meets Karen's parents for the first time.

Karen introduced Heather Habtom (Lois Hadnet) and Henok Habtom (Henok Ambesa) to Morning, who introduced herself. After being treated to a traditional Akortu meal, they headed towards the Habtom's house. Heather Habtom invites Morning Mkwananzi to stay at their home "until you get settled into the city," and the film ended with Morning profusely thanking her for her hospitality.

Cast

• Farirai Chikuhwa as Morning Mkwananzi
• Kim Merhawi as Karen Habtom
• Jongwe Mwaruwari as Gobetween Chimutengwende
• Buve Masiyiwa as Patron A
• Bill Mutambara as Patron B
• Jake Douglas as the hotellier
• Abiel Leeper as Absalom Hanson
• Fidelity Bradshaw as Absalom Hanson's wife
• Rattle Mutambara as the owner of a repair shop
• Kasuba Kangwa as Ken Bukata
• Kupakwashe Ndlovu as Kuda Tigisti
• Henok Ambesa as Henok Habtom
• Lois Hadnet as Heather Habtom

Production

Writing

File:Kuenda Mnangagwa.jpg

Kuenda Mnangagwa, 2021

Munzira was first conceived by Kuenda Mnangagwa in 2006 after watching "a marathon of road films set in the Asterias," with Kuenda Mnangagwa thinking about having a road film where "two people travel from Port Fitzhubert to the far north of the country." However, Mnangagwa made little attempt at turning the idea into a script at the time, saying in a 2023 interview that he "lacked the power in the Rwizikuran film industry to make the idea happen," and believed that "the state of the Rwizikuran film industry" in the 2000s "would have made such a film impracticable."

He began to write the script for the film in 2015, but found it hard to write the script, partially because his original concept of "two men going on a road trip" would have aroused "unnecessary suspicions that this film was somehow promoting homosexuality in the country," despite his clear insistence that the characters undergoing the road trip were "simply roommates." This, plus the "rambling nature of the film" meant that he rewrote the script "at least a dozen times" between 2015 and 2020. However, by 2020, Mnangagwa felt that "the script was at a suitable state" where he could "convincingly pitch it to studios."

Direction

Filming for Munzira began in April 2022 and ended in November 2022, with retakes taking place as late as February 2023. Production was done entirely by KudaProgress Studios, with Munzira being directed by Isheanesu Chavunduka, and produced by Issac Lepolesa.

All exterior shots were done on-location, with most interior shots being filmed on-location as well. However, some scenes, predominantly the hotel scenes were filmed within the grounds of KudaProgress Studios in Port Fitzhubert. Because of the presence of the TBD Century, tracking shots are a common way to set the scene in Munzira.

Music was licensed to KudaProgress Studios by TBD, with most of the music in Munzira being Rwizikuran pop music, with some Estmerish pop music being performed.

Reception

Critical reception

Forthright Mungoshi, film critic for The Rwizikuran said that Munzira praised the film for "showcasing the beauty of Rwizikuru," for its realistic "timing of journeys in Rwizikuru," and for its "excellent cinematopography." However, Mungoshi criticised the film for its "rambling structure" saying that it "made it hard for audiences to follow the film and know what is happening," and said that "it should not have been made as it was."

Samhuri Chikuhwa, film critic for the Port Graham Herald said that "in comparison to Such Beautiful Estmerish Rain, Munzira fails to hit the mark," and criticised the film for its "rambling structure," saying that "it makes it difficult for viewers to follow the film." Chikuhwa also observed that Munzira, "although similar in budget to Such Beuatiful Estmerish Rain, seems poorer in quality and less refined."

However, Erin Muzorewa, an online film critic praised the film for its "frank discussion on Rwizikuran identity, on their goals and ambitions in life and on the nature of love," and argued that:

"...[the film's] rambling structure which many critics have claimed makes it hard to follow is a common trait exhibited in all road movies: by their very nature, they are meant to be more open-ended and rambling than the traditional approach that we see in most movies that make it to Montecara. To suggest that Munzira is difficult to follow and too rambling in structure misses the point of road movies, which is meant to take us on a journey, rather than a destination."

Munonzwa Ncube, a film critic for the Ruesere Times said that Munzira "showed people a Rwizikuru that isn't typically seen: a Rwizikuru that's in the twenty-first century, and a Rwizikuru that shows the positive side of the country that is not just animals and nature," and praised the film's "plot and structure for realistically showing a road trip from Port Fitzhubert all the way to Rusere and for typical behaviour on a road trip to those who can afford it."

Controversies

Munzira attracted controversy among conservative Rwizikurans because of the implications that the two main characters in the movie are lesbians. This las led to calls by Rwizikuran politicians from Respect Your Elders and the right-wing of the Democratic Initiative to ban Munzira in its entirety for its "promotion of homosexuality and lesbianism" in the country.

Film critic Forthright Mungoshi said in his review that "having seen the movie, I cannot come out but conclude that Morning Mkwananzi and Karen Habtom are in a romantic relationship, and unless substantial edits are made to remove the scenes that establish that they are in a romantic relationship, I have serious doubts that we Rwizis we will ever see the film."

However, some in the Rwizikuru LGBTQ+ community have approved of Munzira, with Maria Lindelani, a prominent LGBTQ+ activist saying that the film "provides a positive example of lesbians in Rwizikuran society, and shows that we are not at all what the government, the churches, and society says we are."

In response to the controversy, the Royal Rwizikuran Film Board ordered the removal of all scenes showing Morning and Karen sharing a bed and the scene of Morning's "interrupted confession of her love to Karen" on all domestic releases of the film in order for it to be shown in cinemas in Rwizikuru and for it to be sold at markets in Rwizikuru. The Royal Rwiizkuran Film Board also pledged to "better review Rwizikuran-produced films before it is released on an international market."

Kuenda Mnangagwa responded to the controversy by saying that "I have made it as clear as I possibly could that Morning and Karen are not in love with one another: they're roommates who just so happened to go on a road trip together to Rusere. Anyone who saw the movie with their own eyes will understand that they are simply roommates."