In the heart of Ukambani, where customs meet contemporary family tensions, Ngoone Mwaitu (literally, I’ve gone to see my mother) unpacks the invisible ache of fatherhood with striking emotional honesty.
Told in rich Kamba language and culture, this new local film is as timely as it is poignant, premiering just in time for Father’s Day and Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
Directed by Alfred Munyua and co-produced by Munyua, Brian Ogola, and Jackline Emali, the film turns its lens to a rarely explored reality: what happens when fathers feel forgotten?
Ngone Mwãitu is a story that follows Mbindyo, a humble, retired train conductor, currently a grounds man and devoted father, whose quiet sacrifices for his daughters go unrecognised in a household dominated by his wife, Nthenya.
When the daughters return home for the traditional Ngone Mwaitu celebration, family tensions erupt, unveiling long-hidden truths. The family must confront their past and redefine what it means to honour a parent.
In many Kamba homes, Ngoone Mwaitu is a heartfelt thanksgiving ceremony, daughters returning home to honour their mothers. But in this film, it becomes a symbol of exclusion.
When a group of children returns home bearing gifts, laughter, and warm embraces for their mother, the family patriarch — played with heartbreaking depth by Dennis Musyoka (of Zari and Maria fame) is pushed to the margins.
The guests barely acknowledge him. The father’s silent suffering crescendos into a desperate act, an attempted suicide, only thwarted by passersby. What follows is not just a rescue, but a reckoning.
The film asks: What place do aging fathers have in the modern family narrative?
The screenplay by Jackline Emali draws from these emotional truths, crafting a narrative that is both deeply personal and broadly resonant.
Supporting cast members Felistus Nzula, Tina Clara, and Faith Mutindi aka Agal Toto breathe life into roles that echo with familiarity, daughters, personalities, and matriarchs who represent the many sides of this complex story.
The tagline “Of Fatherhood and Father Wounds” captures the essence of the film.
As the old man says in one of the film’s most haunting lines: “We give birth to them, we raise them, but when they grow up, they are no longer yours.”
Ngoone Mwaitu is a cultural statement, a social conversation starter, and an emotional gut punch wrapped into a beautifully shot, locally grounded film.
Whether you’re a father, a daughter, or just someone with a family, it’s one of those rare local films that lingers long after the credits roll. Catch it this June.
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