According to Letterboxd, there are only 38 films produced by the country of Botswana. Luckily, 5 of those 38 films are available for me to stream. This week’s Letterboxd Map review has us examining a government educational outreach program in… Jewel in the Sand (2020).
Title: Jewel in the Sand
Director: Abraham Kabwe
Released: August 4, 2020 (Theatrical – Botswana)
Runtime: 1 hour 19 minutes
The government of Botswana has put forth an initiative to ensure every child has access to the same quality of education, regardless of where they live.
A teacher receives his assignment and heads out to a rural village to begin work at Kole Primary School. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that engagement is practically nonexistent, not just from the students but from the parents as well.
Still, he shows up each day with a lesson plan in hand and waits. Hours turn into days, days into weeks, and before long, three weeks have passed without a single student stepping foot into his classroom.
Will anyone ever actually show up?
While there’s clearly a lot of heart behind Jewel in the Sand, that’s unfortunately where most of the positives begin and end.
The film relies heavily on a looping acoustic and piano score that plays almost nonstop. Whether it fits the moment or completely overpowers the dialogue, it doesn’t seem to matter.
The story is as straightforward as it gets. A man from the city arrives in the country and tries to win over the locals. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that setup, but neither the script nor the performances do much to elevate it beyond the basics.
At just 79 minutes, this should feel like a quick watch. Instead, it drags. With a tighter, more focused script, this might have worked better as a short film.
It’s never easy to make a movie, and there’s something to be said for the effort here. That said, effort only carries it so far.
Not one I’d rush to add to the watchlist.
Well, what say you?
If you’ve seen Jewel in the Sand, leave a comment below or reach out on Bluesky and tell me what you thought of it!
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