SHAINA is a compelling Zimbabwean coming-of-age movie starring Wilmeah Munemera, Gamu Mukwakwami and Tadiwa Marowa. Written by Wanisai Chigwendere, it's a three-part plot showcasing the challenges of three young ladies who must find alternate ways to overcome hardship and poverty.
Munera takes the lead as Shaina, a brilliant A-level student with a promising future in engineering. However, her world crumbles when her only guardian, her grandmother, passes away just as she is about to take her final exams. Shaina is now left to find ways to secure funds for her education and survival.
Stella (Mukwakwami) is a close friend of Shaina who faces her struggles as an orphan responsible for providing for her younger siblings. In a desperate attempt to escape poverty, she turns to prostitution, exposing herself to threats of sexually transmitted diseases, worst of all, HIV.
Faro (Marowa) is another friend who, unlike Shaina and Stella, isn’t faced with hardship but finds herself in a different predicament. She is pregnant, and her boyfriend, TK, denies being responsible, while her religiously inclined and successful mother throws her out to deal with her problems.
With a modest budget, Shaina, directed by Masvaure Alt, manages to tick all the right boxes while conveying an engaging narrative portraying the societal and economic issues that shape the lives of its characters.
Highly recommended on Netflix.