Escapism at its best

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The Panida Theater’s Virtual Viewing Rooms series will be screening Supa Modo, an endearing Kenyan film that has critics and audiences raving.

A still from ‘Supa Modo.’ Courtesy image.

Directed by Likarion Wainaina, Supa Modo is a superbly written film that centers on Jo, a vibrant 9-year-old girl who has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Jo loves watching superhero action films, and though her body is failing, Jo’s mind and spirit are strong as she believes in the possibility that she may herself become a superheroine.

After returning to her Kenyan village after a terminal diagnosis, Jo’s big sister Mwix begins a secret campaign to rally the community behind Jo to support making her wildest superhero fantasies come true. These acts vary from having Jo open a jar at the dinner table to “stopping” a purse thief and saving the day.

Supa Modo is one of those films that will bring tears of joy to your eyes, while also taking the viewer for a ride on Jo’s personal brand of escapism. In the end, viewers will leave with a greater appreciation for the things that we too often take for granted in life: health and family.