The battle between responsibility and having a good time seems to be a constant theme in Donald Glover's work. Even before his music career took off, most of Glover’s comedy routines and his early TV work centered around characters trying to work hard and also slack off.
This is just one of the reasons “Guava Island,” the movie that was filmed in secret and released on Amazon Prime, fits him so well. It focuses on Deni Maroon, a man determined to free the people of his island from the tyranny of work and remind them how to relax and have fun. If this sounds typical, that’s because it kind of is.
Its humdrum narrative is somewhat helped with its visual metaphors. Things like birds escaping from their cages may seem obvious, but they’re still effective when it comes time to use them.
While the overall plot structure is fairly similar to other works, the script from Glover’s brother, Stephen Glover (“Atlanta”) is filled with wonderful bits of fantasy and dialogue oozing with style. It helps the characters come alive, even those who are onscreen for mere moments.
While the actors are talented as interesting as the characters they’re playing are, not many of them get a lot of screen time. Rihanna feels like she’s floating through each scene with a warm smile and a wise spirit, but it doesn’t feel as though she has a full arc. Letitia Wright (“Black Panther”) is on screen for a mere five to 10 minutes, but her natural charisma shines through, making her character memorable despite the minimized appearance.
The only characters with a measurable amount of screen time are Glover’s Deni and Nonso Anozie's (“Game of Thrones,” “Pan”) Red Cargo.
Cargo is an entertaining antagonist, smartly avoiding any kind of overbearing evil tendencies, instead boiling this shipping tycoon down to his most understandable elements.
Deni is given enough character work to make him extremely likable and easy to identify with. His playful, musical nature is a perfect fit for Glover, making it almost feel like he’s just playing himself.
It’s hard to step back and look at “Guava” as a film, mainly due to its runtime. At just 50 minutes without credits, it’s quite short, making its streaming release understandable. Most of that runtime is dedicated to performances of past Childish Gambino songs, remixed with new instrumentals or new context.
It gives everything an ethereal vibe, like a living music video, and it truly adds to the mystique of this island.
However, none of the songs are new. While there is one song that is technically new, the use of “Red Cargo” is used more as a throwaway gag, not meant to be taken seriously as a real song. That leaves everything else feeling somewhat familiar.
One sequence has Gambino’s celebrated track “This is America” set against the background of whirring machines and packing workers, giving it an underground industrial feel. But it doesn’t make the song feel entirely new, it’s just being performed in a new way.
The visual styles help to accentuate the tone that drives everything home. Even if some of the characters are underutilized and the story is familiar, the tonal work creates a film that’s just about being an artist.
Director Hiro Murai (“Atlanta,” “Barry”) steps in with cinematographer Christian Sprenger (“Atlanta,” “Brigsby Bear”) to flesh out this world with their old school techniques. They’ve taken the colorful location and stretched it out, with primary pigments almost spilling out at the sides.
Shooting in 4:3 aspect ratio alone would give “Guava” its own look in the modern film-scape, but also shooting it on film makes this entire world pop like it never would have on digital. The fuzz that crackles across the screen solidifies the fairy tale-like qualities of the story and island, zeroing in on what could have been a throwaway aspect of the rest of the film.
“Guava Island” will likely mean more for those who consider themselves artists, but it’s still a wonderfully sweet film for all. The calming, colorful visuals blend seamlessly with the music video plot style. It’s a bit underdeveloped, but still short and sweet, giving off a vibe all its own. 4/5
