Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Barack Obama returns to his family's roots on an emotional journey to Africa-- the vast continent that is gaining increasing importance in this age of globalization. Part personal odyssey and part chronicle of diplomacy in action, this timely documentary follows Senator Obama as he travels to the land of his ancestry.

In South Africa we accompany Senator Obama and his wife Michelle on a trip to Robben Island - the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela was jailed for 21 years. At a Darfur refugee camp in Chad, we see, through Obama's eyes, the devastating effects of genocide, and listen in to Senator Obama's discussions with victims of the crisis, U.N. officials, and other aid workers as he explores ways in which the United States can lend support to the victims.

The heart of the film is Obama's emotional homecoming to Kisumu, Kenya - his father's home - where thousands of people turn out to greet him. "It was completely overwhelming," says Michelle Obama, the Senator's wife. "It's hard to describe unless you were there--to see hundreds and thousands of people lining the streets of this very small town to greet my husband."

Throughout it all, Senator Obama narrates the film, giving his own perspective on the journey and the significance of Africa to U.S. interests. Additional perspective is included through interviews with experts on African affairs as well as with U.S. political commentators.

Rating : - Solid Documentary Work + Remarkable Subject = Historical Film
I have read the following books regarding the Illinois Senator: Obama's "Dreams of My Father...," "The Audacity of Hope" and "Obama: From Promise to Power" by David Mendell. My recommendation would be to see this powerful documentary after reading at least Mendell's book, as the events in Bob Hercules and Keith Walker's film are described in "Obama: From Promise to Power" in detailed chronology. For me, it was exciting to be watching "Senator Obama Goes to Africa" and knowing (from Mendell's book) about the events I was seeing. It was almost like I was a tour guide for my family as we watched the documentary.

Ultimately, what I'm saying is that there are several sources of information on Obama's career and life that compliment each other and each make their own unique contributions. Obama's "Dreams of My Father..." adds a personal background to this documentary that is important, too.

But, focusing on the Hercules and Walker work, it could be said that there is nothing more powerful than seeing images of things that really happened. For the most part, a lot of us take photography, film (etcetera) as the closest thing to evidence of the truth that there is. Of course, like any work, a documentary film is edited, and it has the signature of its makers and their points of view. Yet, Hercules and Walker seem to manage pretty well to keep themselves out of the way and let viewers see this journey for themselves. As in all good documentaries, it gives you that feeling that you're an unnoticed "fly on the wall," able to see things without them seeing you. Another metaphor is that it's like a window, and it achieves what they call in film school and scholarly research, "the willingnesss to suspend disbelief." The documentary pulls you in, making you forget yourself and the fact that you are watching a film. You are inside it, believing its "reality."

I would not want to write about the film's content's here, as they would spoil things for others yet to see "Senator Obama Goes to Africa." But, I can say a few general things.

Obama narrates this documentary himself ("voice-overs") in a modest but very focused way, and his comments are sparse when compared to the percentage of the film that goes without any commentary at all. Michelle is with him on the trip, and she comments on her feelings about events happening during the trip, too. This journey to the continent from which his ancestry comes is pretty remarkable and shows Obama's overwhelming popularity in each place he visits, as well as his extremely effective ways of bringing attention to important issues out in the open. There's a lot more I could say, but I'll keep it to this last point: People are crazy about him, just wild.

You have to see this film. It will be in archives for centuries for future generations to see.