Brought to the screen by Shamira Raphaëla, a documentary film director keen on encapsulating the essence of humanity, comes SHABU, which follows a 14-year-old as he works hard to pay back his grandmother after crashing her car while she’s away in Suriname. We arrive in a bustling neighbourhood as we follow Shabu in his day-to-day life, set amongst the appropriately paperclip-shaped Peperklip housing complex of Rotterdam. 

It’s not the first time Raphaëla has directed a documentary film on a similar community; Deal With It spotlighted a marginalised family dealing with the effects of drugs and crime. But SHABU takes on a happier approach. The film seizes the reality of the working class through the eyes of youth, while sharing the imaginative solutions young minds are capable of conjuring up to solve serious problems. It’s simpler than what we, in our convoluted adult world, could devise. Shabu doesn’t favour the idea of working tough jobs to earn the money for his grandmother’s car. Instead, he thinks: let’s throw a party! And when the plan works in his favour, it’s all down to one very simple reason. 

The heart of SHABU is the community. Stitched between the key moments that advance Shabu’s goal are several scenes of raw, unapologetically human interaction, whether that be an argument over a shopping list that was disobeyed or a friendly chinwag with other residents in the area. There’s an unspoken connection everyone seems to immediately possess on conversing; it’s a society to be desired. SHABU does well to capture the beauty in the mundane, and the extraordinary in the inconspicuous. 

At the end of the day, Shabu is like every other boy of his age. He’s embracing the world with a puffed-up chest, talks big and stirs the occasional mischief. But what Raphaëla does successfully is bring people out to their realest form. We watch as Shabu deals with problems with his girlfriend, feels remorse towards his grandmother, and witnesses his older friend “become a man” by being gifted with a kamisa (of Maroon tradition) that he himself is not ready for yet. It shows everything, from the swaggeringly confident moments to the emotional conflicts. There’s no doubt Raphaëla could find the deeper, more fascinating layers of any human on this earth if one were randomly picked. 

It can’t go without mention that amongst the filming of important dialogue is a cinematography so stunning and polished that it elevates the scenes. In crucial moments Shabu’s face fills the screen, pulling the viewer in. The innocent tone of the film is also supported by its bright and warm colour grading. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was a fully scripted and casted film when the visual aspect is up to standard with every other glossy production of the century. 

SHABU compels one to wonder why there aren’t more black working-class community-focused films. It’s joyful, heartwarming, and offers the fundamental truth that when everything is stripped bare, human connection is always the same. The importance of family and community is promoted throughout the film, and may inspire viewers to further appreciate that of their own. 

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Written by Maddie Armstrong

Featured image courtesy of Publicity PR

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