A Small Act review

Jennifer Arnold’s heartwarming doc highlights the power of charity

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How far does charity extend?

That’s a question implied but not tackled in Jennifer Arnold’s moving yet limited doc about Chris Mburu, a UN human rights lawyer from a poor Kenyan village whose school funds came from a $15- a-month sponsorship paid by a Swedish Holocaust survivor.

Having spawned his own educational funding programme, Mburu makes a stirring case for kindness’ ripple effects. But his inevitably selective scheme raises tough questions about the selection process and its casualties.

Heartening as small acts are, the bigger issues here demand a more rigorous address.

Freelance writer

Kevin Harley is a freelance journalist with bylines at Total Film, Radio Times, The List, and others, specializing in film and music coverage. He can most commonly be found writing movie reviews and previews at GamesRadar+. 

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