I Am Samuel

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2:14

I Am Samuel

2020

1h 9m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

92%

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13 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Samuel grew up in the Kenyan countryside, where tradition is valued above all else. He is close to his mother but his father, a local pastor, doesn't understand why he isn't married yet. After moving to Kenya's capital in search of work and a new life, Samuel falls in love with Alex and finds community and belonging. Their love thrives despite the fact that Kenyan laws criminalize anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. Despite threats of violence and rejection, Samuel and Alex move between their co-existing worlds, hoping to win acceptance in both.

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Alex Ramon

Sight & Sound

May 14

The tentative hopefulness of I Am Samuel’s perspective tilts into uplift with the inclusion of Eric Wainaina’s theme song ‘When Darkness Comes’, with its decidedly on-the-nose lyrics...

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Ian Freer

Empire Magazine

06/02/2021

4/5

I Am Samuel is a moving valentine to an enduring relationship. If it never fully examines the obstacles in its path, Samuel and Alex's love story is a beauty to behold.

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Phuong Le

Guardian

05/31/2021

3/5

The film is perhaps over compact, but its ending is heartwarmingly optimistic.

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Katlego K Kolanyane-Kesupile

Washington Blade

05/19/2022

A timely offering to the world of LGBTQ storytelling in that it’s a story of perseverance, acceptance, teaching, mundanity, destiny, faith and simple humanity.

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Benjamin Franz

Film Threat

02/09/2022

7/10

One film won’t necessarily change society but sharing these stories as a form of collective action is a step in the right direction.

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Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

06/11/2021

4/5

Filmmaker Pete Murimi has made a remarkably intimate film that eloquently pleads for compassion and understanding.

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Peter Murimi

Director

Peter Murimi

Writer

Ricardo Acosta

Writer

Toni Kamau

Producer

Peter Murimi

Producer

Ricardo Acosta

Film Editor

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I Am Samuel: Trailer 1

2:14

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Synopsis

Samuel grew up in the Kenyan countryside, where tradition is valued above all else. He is close to his mother but his father, a local pastor, doesn't understand why he isn't married yet. After moving to Kenya's capital in search of work and a new life, Samuel falls in love with Alex and finds community and belonging. Their love thrives despite the fact that Kenyan laws criminalize anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. Despite threats of violence and rejection, Samuel and Alex move between their co-existing worlds, hoping to win acceptance in both.

Director: Peter Murimi
Producer: Toni Kamau, Peter Murimi
Screenwriter: Peter Murimi, Ricardo Acosta, Peter Murimi, Ricardo Acosta
Production Co: Mosaic Films, We Are Not the Machine
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 9m