Movie Review: “Mully” Is Astonishing In Its Humanity

[yasr_overall_rating]
 

Director Scott Haze chronicles the remarkable life of Charles Mully. A man revered as “Father to the Fatherless,” Mully is a one time Kenyan business tycoon turned founder of Mully Children’s Family, the largest children’s rescue, rehabilitation and development organization in Africa.

Dr. Charles Mully grew up in Kenya, a child of abuse and abandoned in his lonely desert village at age seven by his family, consisting of a sister, two brothers and his drunken father who constantly beat the children’s mother. After begging in his village for a time, young Charles walked for three and a half days to Kenya’s capitol city, Nairobi, where he lived on the streets and continued to beg for the next several years. He was, for all intents and purposes, an orphan left to fend for himself in a country full of predators, both man and beast. His story, however, rises far above the angry destitution of his childhood, and even the extraordinary businessman and millionaire he became. No, the real story of Charles Mully lay in what he gave up, and who he gave it up for.

One evening, after a personal struggle, Mully told his wife, Esther, and their eight children, God had told him to quit his business and give his money to the poor. His response was immediate obedience. He began to search the streets of Nairobi for orphans, who he would take in, feed, clothe, and educate.

What could have been a hackneyed, preachy film becomes nothing short of a masterful example of the power of subtle messaging and simple story telling in the hands of Director Scott Haze. He interweaves wise use of re-enactments with Mully’s own archival footage and interviews with Mully’s biological family to deftly give the audience a wide view of the decisions Mully undertakes and how those decisions directly affect his loved ones. A lesser filmmaker might have allowed the re-enactments to overtake the story and lose much of the authenticity which gives this film its power. Instead, Haze infuses such thoughtfulness into every frame that each part, each device fits together perfectly, allowing the story to remain fluid throughout its telling.

I had to admire Haze for telling the story as it is, without packaging it for a particular audience. He doesn’t shy away from allowing Mully’s biological family to speak about the intense frustrations his decision caused or the resentment which built up in some of them as they watched their father begin to pour his life into these “street” children, seeming to forget his own. Nor does Haze shy away from Mully’s faith. For Mully, faith drives him to streets at night, seeking out children to help. It is a concept that cannot be left out of the story. But Haze never lets the film become a sermon. For him, Mully’s story is one of humanity in which faith plays an integral role. The balance he strikes gives the audience control over how to interpret the events on screen.

Haze uses a wealth of talent to complement the story, among which the shockingly beautiful visuals of Director of Photography Justin Morrison stand out. With his opening sequence exposing the squalor of the slums in Nairobi, Haze, through Morrison’s keen eye, opens our eyes to a story of unvarnished truth. Kenya’s natural beauty gets its own few glimpses, but the real beauty here shines from the acts of mercy and compassion Charles and Esther Mully conduct time and again, without wavering. Morrison’s work shows up in the interviews and re-enactments, but never intrudes on the story, only giving it the proper backdrop in which to be told. His work is edited carefully into stock footage and Mully’s own archival footage so seamlessly the three video sources transition easily as Mully and his family tell their story.

Benjamin Wallfisch, fresh from assisting the great Hans Zimmer on the “Batman Vs. Superman” score, gives “Mully” a gorgeous sound, pitch perfect as it holds the emotions of the film carefully in its notes. In turns, Wallfisch’s subtle touch in quiet moments gives way to the celebration of human dignity “Mully” inspires in its viewers. I found myself lost in its score at times, allowing it to carry me with the narration. Its impact remains so great it almost becomes another character in the film, one speaking directly into the human spirit, uplifting and challenging each viewer. I believe it to be one of the finest scores I’ve heard in any film, documentary or otherwise.

When put together, “Mully” builds to a climax of life affirming inspiration. The skeptic in me says this is too good to be true, but the film makes too convincing a case to dismiss it out of hand. Haze and his production team make all the right choices, from filming entirely on location in Kenya to letting Mully and his family be the narrators of their own story. Because of this, it retains the authenticity of the truth. You will not find any phony manipulation or exaggeration of facts here. The film does not set out to make a political statement. It is not packaged for a faith-based audience, or any particular audience at all. It simply tells the story of a man who acted on behalf of his fellow man, a story told in all the complexity, inspiration, and challenge of the simple truth.

“Mully” and its makers are currently seeking distribution.