‘Guava Island’ is another one of Donald Glover’s masterpieces

“Guava Island”, Donald Glover’s most recent film directed by Hiro Murai, premiered at Coachella 2019 and distributed on Amazon Prime Video. It is a musical feature which serves as a powerful social commentary on the hierarchy standards of the world we live in today. This movie, starring Donald Glover as Deni Maroon and Rhianna as Kofi Novia, tells the story of a musician, who attempts to unite an oppressed and over-worked island.

Deni, a famous and beloved musician who performs on the radio every day, promises the island’s workers a music festival on the weekend. He plans for it to be a time of freedom and music for the islanders, and a rest from their jobs at the silk factory. However, the authoritarian ruler of the island, Red, played by Nonso Anozie, does not approve of it, refusing to lose a day of production from his workers. Deni still plans to have the festival even after Red threatens him and smashes his guitar. Kofi is worried throughout the story that Deni, her boyfriend, will be harmed. Leading up to the festival, the movie features several musical acts from Donald Glover including his charting hits, “This Is America” and “Feels Like Summer.”

The movie not only shows the audience the reality of what can occur when one tries to instill change within a nation, but it’s also a symbolic reference to all of the powerful and influential real-life activists, that have risen up and fought for the rights of their people, while still highlighting the unfortunate detriments that come their way as a result.

Additionally, the cinematography is beyond visually pleasing. It appears to be partially shot on film, which gives the movie a vintage and grainy look. The color scheme is clearly tropical, with emphasis on the contrast between blues and reds which essentially assists the progress of the story.

I recommend this movie to everyone. It was brilliant. And if you’re a Donald Glover fan, you’re in for a treat. It’s his best movie yet.