This True Stories documentary gains unprecedented access to the family of Tom Cholmondeley, who is facing the death penalty after allegedly killing a poacher on his 56,000 acre Rift Valley estate
A well made and informed doc on a fascinating but scary case filmed over a two year period without the producer/director knowing what or when the outcome would be. A balanced account of the circumstances and the history leading up to the arrest, imprisonment and trial of Tom. Good to be reminded of the colonial history and that of land ownership in Kenya with current ongoing social and political unrest. Also good to see an equal balance of both black and white opinion.
Brilliantly done. A highly complex historical and political situation explained clearly without over-simplifying. The subject sensitively treated given, after all, that it involved family, but with a hard-headed take on the attitudes and bitterness created by colonialism. Beautifully filmed to provide sufficient insigt into the wonderful attraction of Kenya.I thoroughly enjoyed this film which had a very pleasing beginning, middle and end and a facinating story between.
Posted by Deborah Setterfield on 21/05/2009 10:37:01
Kenya Murder Mystery was powerful filmmaking. Fiona Cunningham-Reid constructed a necessarily personal account of violent and tragic events unfolding in a huge landscape and amid disturbing social turmoil. Emotions were hidden just beneath the surface, then , instants later, exposed ,rawly, for all to see. It was beautiful and horrible- often at the same time. It was objective, fair ,questioning and full of a strange,heart-rending loneliness. Thank you Channel Four.
very upset on how one sided the documentary potrayed the story on the killing of the poachers. not seeing reactions of the poachers family and as a black person myself, to be insulted by the summary of the narrator stating that tom was a scape goat for the sins of this ancestors. maybe you should do a second programme and entitle it 'find the killer of the kenyan murders'
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