Shaina is a movie set in Zimbabwe and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Trade and Industry South Africa. It is a story of a group of teenagers, filled with hopes and aspirations without the presence of hurdles and challenges in their ways. It’s a heavily themed movies, laced with issues such as teenage pregnancy, rape and assault, social stigmatization, child abuse, sexual orientation, social vices including prostitution.
The beauty of exploring these issues as portrayed in this Shaina is the re-orientation of the audience regarding these vital issues in human communities.
Shaina is a purposeful movie tailor for specific goal as the subject matters’ borders on education, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology, business and partnership, finance, family, friendship and community, religion and socio-cultural expectations; all of these woven round teenage life and experience.
The bond of disciplined and goal-orientated friendship unifies the challenges and the eventual resolution of those problems the teenagers faced. In the end, they became inspirational icon to other teenagers who are facing or might face similar challenge in the future.
The Plot
The story has its fulcrum on Shaina, an eponymous character and her friends. Shaina cordially called Shain is a bright teenage girl with interest in problem solving by making innovations. She is faced with financial troubles after her Gogo (grandmother) passed and their possessions shared between relatives immediately after the burial ceremony.
She shoulders the responsibility of achieving the dream of her family; to get educated beyond A levels. She starts a business to cater for her exam fees, gets raped by a pretentious relative and also shares her friends’ burdens. Her friends; Stella was into prostitution to meet the needs of her two orphaned siblings, scared with STI, Faro gets pregnant for an unstable teenage boy and her pious mother evicts her from their home. Hence, her aspiration to attend a fashion school is paused. Shaina is accused of theft by her rapist and arrested and here comes the anti-climax.
Cast and Setting
The settings of scenes in Shaina is believably connected with the issues taking place in the movie.Directed by Beauty Masvaure, the cast include some actor who are relatively new faces but delivered outstanding performance; Wilmah Munemera (Shine), Jesese Mungoshi (Ambuya), Gamu Mukwakwami (Stella), Charmaine Mujeri (Mai Faro), Tinodiwanashe Chitma (Zo), Eddie Sandifolo, Tarumbidwa Chirume, Joylene Malenga, Tadiwa Marowa (Faro) and Tongai Sammy T. Mundawarara. It was release on 21st of August 2020.
Dialogue
The conversations are simple and rightly targeted. Dialogue plays a crucial in this movie because of the social themes it is built on.
Shaina is a one-of-a-kind movie because of its issue based thematic storyline. It’s a good watch.