[In Eng. afterwards] Supa Modo: a Superhero is Hiding Inside You

Very endearing, mature and powerful. This is how one could qualify the real hero of Supa Modo, directed by Likarion Wainaina. And be prepared, it will melt your heart…

Jo (Stycie Waweru), a 9 year-old little girl from Kenya, is at the hospital because of a serious illness. This girl’s strength lies in her passion for superheroes. But when her mother learns that Jo’s case is more worrying than she thought, she decides to take her back home so that she can spend the last moments of her life with her family.

Really depressed about her daughter’s condition, the mother forbids her to go out on her own. Her suffering is really heartbreaking. This woman is torn apart by the situation and can’t stand the idea that she’ll have to say goodbye to Jo soon, making her overprotective.

As Mwix (Jo’s big sister) wants her to have fun and enjoy her life, she goes against their mother as she doesn’t want to see her in their house constantly. So, with the help of some villagers, Mwix makes her believe that she has real superpowers in order to make the little girl feel good.

The best part of this movie is the fact that Jo’s disease does not define her. She’s still living like everything was fine for her. And it is fine! She doesn’t let her illness get the better of her because she doesn’t want to be “the sick girl”. And everyone loves her in the village. They do not show their sorrow before Jo but they are really sorry for her.

Moreover, this little girl wishes she could fly like a superhero. A beautiful thing about that is the fact that nobody blames her for passion even if she’s a girl. The idea that superheroes are for everyone is very important even if there are more male superheroes represented in cinema and books.

During this film, you laugh and you cry. It’s so real that you get attached to the characters without even realizing it. Supa Modo is a must-see because it shows love, happiness and solidarity, but also a dark reality about loss and grief in a beautiful way: through the hopes and joy of a child full of dreams. Jo teaches the spectator an important lesson about life which is to live deeply and believe in dreams.

This little girl shows resilience as she manages to enjoy life without being afraid of what could happen to her.

Furthermore, this film also broaches the topic of cinema as a collective art in which every dream can become reality. Here, cinema is helping Jo make her dream come true and this moment is bringing much joy to everyone. The entire village is mobilized and that is overwhelming to see their involvement towards Jo’s film.

Go watch it as soon as possible and do not forget one thing: we are all superheroes in our own way!

Chloé Dazard