The 55-minute film premiered at Coachella, and is currently streaming for free on Amazon Prime.
The Grammy-winning, enigmatic rapper Childish Gambino released his highly anticipated film Guava Island late Friday night right in the middle of his characteristically unconventional Coachella set.
Though he made no mention of the film while smoking weed with his audience, Guava Island is inextricably linked to the California music festival.
It held its world premiere there before premiering on Amazon Prime where it’s available for free until 9 p.m. EST.
More importantly, Guava Island is a product of the alter-ego Childish Gambino—not just a film starring the talented, Emmy-winning actor Donald Glover.
The film is directed by Hiro Murai, Glover’s longtime collaborator behind the music video for “This Is America”
As well as several episodes of Glover’s hit show Atlanta. It makes sense then that Guava Island, at just 55 minutes, is a hybrid film and visual album.
The film follows Deni (Glover), a local radio DJ organizing a music festival in hopes of uniting the oppressed citizens of the fictional Guava island who live in paradise but never get to rest. All the while, he’s trying to be a good boyfriend to his childhood crush turned longtime partner Kofi (Rihanna). Black Panther’s Letitia Wright appears briefly as Kofi’s factory co-worker, while Game of Thrones’ Nonso Anozie brings his knack for villainy as a shady factory boss.
After a photo leaked of Rihanna and Glover together last summer in Havana, Cuba, where the film was shot, expectations soared among fans that Guava Island wouldn’t just be a joyous collaboration but the opening salvo for the two beloved musicians’ long-awaited albums. It’s with a heavy heart when I say Rihanna does not even hum a tune in the film—and unfortunately, that might be its biggest takeaway.
Glover does sing—and repeatedly so—throughout the short film. Guava Island disperses a series of Gambino’s vibey-yet-lesser-known tracks like “Feels like Summertime,” “Die With You” and the still unreleased “Human Sacrifice” through the short, short film. It’s a nice reminder of just how versatile his catalog is. The only person who has effortlessly moved through reggae, rap and pop is, well, his co-star Rihanna. R.I.P once more to what could have been a stellar duet.
While he leaves out his biggest hits like “3005” and “Redbone,” Glover makes up for it with an extended performance of his acclaimed 2018 single “This Is America.” The Guava Island version is closely tied to the original music video, serving more as an explainer than a remake. Both the music video and the film sequence take place in desolate warehouses and utilize similar choreography. But this time around, Gambino isn’t coy. “America is a concept,” he states before the in-scene machinery kicks off his performance. “Anywhere where in order to get rich you have to make someone else richer is America.” Cue the jerky dance moves. The scene is a satisfying answer to the many questions concerning what “This Is America” stood for: a warning call against modern-day imperialism.
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Source: CNN
