The movie opens with a scene of the thriving but unregulated miraa trade, which is in line with the title of the movie, Veve, slang for khat.
It tells the tale of Amos Munene (Lowry Odhiambo), a hard hearted and corrupt Maua MP with dreams of become one of the most powerful people in the country through his involvement in the miraa trade.
With his no-nonsense right hand man – Sammy (Conrad Makueni) – by his side, a widower struggling to raise his glue-sniffing 12-year-old son Kago, who barely minces his words and has no regard for social cues, nothing is about to stop Amos from getting to the top, or so he thinks. His rise to power is met by a list of players working hard to derail his plans.
For instance, his greed for money and power sets him against Wadu (Salim Paul), a reserved and shadowy businessman who exports his miraa, and also against the farmers in his constituency, who get fed up with his carrot and stick techniques.
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When Amos’ wife, Esther (Lizz Njagah) discovers his true nature, she seeks solace in Kenzo (Emo Rugene) – an ex-convict out to seek vengeance for his father’s death – but unbeknown to her he is her husband’s grim reaper and she ends up starting an affair with him.
Then there is Clint, a hedonistic wannabe documentary filmmaker who meddles too far, blind to the dangers he is putting himself and others into. All are in search of purpose not knowing that their destinies are entwined in more ways than they imagine.
Will Amos ultimately be destroyed? Find out.
Thumbs up
The movie appeals to local audiences because of its realistic depiction of life in rural Kenya and of the complexities of the miraa trade. To bring it close to home for those not familiar with rural Kenya settings, the soundtrack features tracks from Just A Band and Sauti Sol making it even more enjoyable and genuine. The cinematography and other technical aspects are of extremely high quality.
Thumbs down
The script is overburdened with numerous underdeveloped sub-plots with not enough time or attention paid to any of them. Although Sauti Sol’s Delvin Mudigi provides comic relief whenever he appears on screen, the humour is lost in transition. Many of the English subtitles are inaccurate.
