And the Best Picture goes to....

“Out of Africa,” directed by Sydney Pollack, is a romantic story set against the lush backdrop of Kenya. The film features a powerful lead performance by Meryl Streep as the determined and resilient Baroness Karen Blixen. However, it clocks in at over two and a half hours long, causing the film to struggle with its pacing and looking for a more cohesive way to tell its story.

The plot follows Baroness Karen Blixen, a Danish aristocrat who moves to Kenya to establish a coffee plantation. She faces numerous challenges of colonial life, including an unhappy marriage to her husband, who is more interested in pursuing other ventures than in supporting her efforts. As she struggles to make her plantation successful, Karen encounters the charismatic big game hunter Denys Finch Hatton, played by Robert Redford, and a romantic relationship develops between them. The chemistry between Meryl Streep and Robert Redford is evident, portraying romantic scenes such as when he washes her hair by the river or when flying through the clouds in an open airplane.  It does allow you to get swept up into their love story, which eventually crashes and burns—literally, as well as figuratively.

Streep’s representation of Karen Bixen is solid, right down to an accent that doesn’t appear to slip at any point of the film.  Robert Redford is ideally cast as the charming and handsome figure that sweeps Streep’s character off of her feet.

There’s no denying that the cinematography is a standout feature of the film. The sweeping shots of the landscape and vibrant sunsets capture the natural beauty of Africa and creates a strong sense of the setting.  And while these visuals are captivating, they sometimes seem like they can overtake the story itself.

“Out of Africa” is visually stunning and succeeds in capturing the beauty of Kenya.  While some viewers may appreciate its lush visuals and romantic themes, others, like myself, might find that it needed to focus a little more on telling its story.