New drama movie titled ‘A Family Vacation’ is the latest addition to Kenyan movies streaming on Netflix.
Released on Friday, August 9th 2024, ‘A Family Vacation’ is a masterful crafted Kenyan film that revolves around the dynamics of a modern African family.
Directed by Voline Ogutu and Edwin Kamau, the movie offers a dark side of relationships pressure and fame in the age of social media.
The story follows the lead actress Yara Maleki played by Sarah Hassan, a woman who once had everything- a wedding proposal that went viral and a marriage that seemed perfect making it the gold standard of love. But beneath the surface the cracks begin to show in her carefully curated persona. Her husband, Jonathan played by Lenana Kariba, the man who they once shared smiling selfies and intimate family moments with, has now served her divorce papers and moved on to another romantic relationship.
It explores the lengths in which people will go to maintain their online personas, and she is determined to keep up with the facade of a perfect marriage driven by the fear of public scrutiny. In the last attempt to save her marriage and brand, she invites her soon-to-be ex-Husband on a family vacation in an attempt to rekindle their marriage and a strategy to boost her new book sales. But when he declines she decides to take matters into her own hands to reignite public interest and go on the vacation alone with her daughter who they share a strained and hollow relationship a product of distance and emotional unavailability.
The audience also is drawn into her flashback memories of growing up in poverty, watching her mother doing odd-jobs just to keep them afloat. These scenes are important to understand the insecurities that drive her need to project the perfect lifestyle on social media.
‘A Family Vacation’ is visually stunning, with the Kenyan Coastal scenery providing a breathtaking backdrop and can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages, offering a balance of introspection and humor.
The movie also stars Jackie Matubia and Joyce Maina. The movie is getting the much needed traction and is trending in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.