THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is an assured and compelling directorial debut from Chiwetel Ejiofor, and another example of how important outlets like Netflix are for getting diverse filmmaking voices out there. It’s a very classically good-looking film which is no less than you’d expect from Mike Leigh’s go-to DP Dick Pope. Formal construction, clean and clear presentation of often ugly events. The film is divided into agricultural chapters: Sowing, Growing, Harvest…Hunger. Things gets pretty bleak for this Malawian farming family: “We can have one meal a day, we should decide which one” but there is always a glimmer of hope. William (Maxwell Simba) gets by because he’s intelligent, because he understands the workings of the world he stands on. To have the courage to say to a parent that he knows better, that he can save everyone if he is trusted with the responsibility shows his indomitable spirit. SSP