Wetlands

Screenplay, Family drama

October 1952, days after the State of Emergency declaration in British-run Kenya, the mysterious death of his father prompts John to uproot himself from his cosy London life and return to his father’s home in central Kenya. The estate stretched along the most crucial banks of the Mara River now hosts a massive dam that diverts vital water away from the nearby village. 

John's search for answers about his father's death leads him to discover that changing political tides have painted his family as abettors in the empire’s tyranny, and not the aspirational family he had naively thought them to be. In desperation, he allies himself with Major Whitcombe, a ruthless colonial officer to aid in the search, drawing ire from his older brother, Junior. 

As tensions over inheritance brew, their estranged brother Peter, a recently released political prisoner, abruptly arrives. The family find themselves trapped under one roof as the nightly curfew descends. Outside, military vehicles rumble past with increasing frequency to battle freedom fighters, while inside, the brothers circle each other cautiously. Their positions of power are as fragile as the nearby dam.