Easy Lessons (2018)

In Easy Lessons, we are guided through the transformative journey of Kafia, a young Somali girl on the cusp of adulthood. At the tender age of 17, she daringly escapes a predestined child marriage, seeking refuge in the heart of Europe, Hungary. Kafia's life now unfolds within the confines of a state children's home in bustling Budapest, where she navigates the labyrinth of a new language, grapples with high school, prepares for graduation, and steps onto the runway of a budding modelling career. However, beneath her picture-perfect exterior, Kafia is plagued by a heavy heart. Her new life, though brimming with opportunities, is also a battlefield of internal conflict. The orbit of her daily existence spins around relentless dilemmas and self-doubt as she grapples with the abandonment of her deeply ingrained Muslim culture and the fragments of her past life. Kafia's story is not just about adaptation, but a metamorphosis. Cultural norms, taboos, and dogmas from her homeland crumble amidst the mundanity of her new European life. The mother who once helped her flee her fate is now a distant echo in her world of change. How can Kafia reconcile the woman she is becoming with the girl she once was? How can she bare her evolving soul to the mother she left behind? This tumultuous internal struggle weaves the fabric of the film, becoming Kafia's silent confession. Easy Lessons is an intimate and poetic exploration of identity, bravery, and the cost of freedom. It is a poignant portrayal of a young woman's struggle to sever ties with her past, surrender to her new self, and embrace the uncertainty of her future in Europe. It asks the compelling question: What does it mean to redefine yourself in the unfamiliar landscape of a new culture, on the brink of adulthood?

Easy Lessons is a documentary movie featuring Kafiya Said Mahdi and directed by Dorottya Zurbo.

Easy Lessons is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Kanopy.

It is also possible to buy Easy Lessons on Google Play Movies and YouTube.