Worth: $15.00
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Cast:
Rosemary Karuki
Intro:
…genuinely moving optimism…
Rosemary Karuki dedicates her life to helping migrant women in Sydney’s local suburbs to access information that they need to assimilate into society, as well as providing emotional support.
Her tireless efforts and boundless empathy are celebrated in Ros Horin’s second feature documentary Rosemary’s Way, produced by Pat Fiske, which conveys Rosemary’s passion for “different women from different cultures coming together”. It ranges from organising events such as mountain walking and dance nights, to simply visiting them at home and developing strong friendships.
A fly-on-the-wall atmosphere captures Rosemary’s conversations with her ‘clients’, as she encourages them to join a Cultural Exchange Program, whereby migrant women stay with an Australian host family to build their social skills and confidence. Rosemary’s efforts to organise this, as well as listening to the various struggles of the women she speaks with, provides structure to the film.
Not only this, the emotional interviews with migrant women, where Rosemary is described as a “healer”, “connecter” and “lifesaver”, creates a genuinely moving optimism about her impact.
However, much of the film lacks an arc or style to compliment Rosemary’s big-heartedness. Initially, it delves into Rosemary’s daily routine of meeting and calling with people, while also organising events and building her own knowledge. This frequent leap-frogging from scene to scene diminishes the emotional impact of the subject matter.
One striking example includes a roundtable discussion with migrant women who compare their harrowing histories. The documentary slows down to a heavy silence as the effects of domestic violence, arranged marriages, and fleeing warzones extract a sadness and empathy. However, it suddenly transitions to Rosemary’s ebullient grandson in voiceover: “it’s that time of year again…the African Women’s Dinner Dance!”, as Rosemary dances in the street with her grandson. This jolt of excitement feels incongruent with what was previously happening and takes away from the pain… perhaps deliberately.
Furthermore, the film’s festive moments are intercut with captions that offer a commentary to generate excitement. This cheap production quality becomes obtrusive and unnecessary when the palpable joy of women finally building confidence in a foreign country is effective on its own.
Although the documentary is unafraid to confront the harsh realities of the diaspora of migrant women, the tangible change in their happiness by engaging in group activities uplifts the film into its hopeful mood. This celebration of migrant women coming out of their shells sheds light on Rosemary’s positive work, but also motivates ordinary Australians to engage with the country’s multicultural heritage.
