Blind Ambition

Four expatriates from Zimbabwe join forces to compete in the ‘World Cup of Wine’ in France.

Rob Coe and Warwick Ross are both men of some experience in the world of film. Having first worked as producers they have branched out as writers and directors and here they share these credits. For Rob Coe Blind Ambition is a first step in this field, whereas Warwick Ross has already made one comparable piece, 2013’s Red Obsession, for which he shared both of these credits with David Roach. That earlier work was about wines from Bordeaux and that provides a link with the subject matter of Blind Ambition. That's because this new film is centred on an annual event that takes place in France, the World Blind Wine Tasting Championship. However, even though entering the world of its participants will have novelty value for many viewers, Blind Ambition is not confined to that aspect since it also encompasses so much more.

I had not previously come across Coe and Ross but Blind Ambition, very well photographed by Scott Munro and Martin McGrath, shows that they are thoroughly adept filmmakers. Even so, the most appealing aspect of this film is to be found in the four men who are screen centre here. All four are from Zimbabwe but have become expatriates living in South Africa having been driven out of their own country by economic hardship. Having managed to obtain work as sommeliers in restaurants in Cape Town they would come to realise that they had abilities as wine tasters skilled in identifying brands, age and sources. The four would follow through on this and consequently in the year 2017 they would become Team Zimbabwe travelling to Europe and ultimately taking part in the Wine Tasting Olympics at the Château de Gilly in Burgundy.

This means, of course, that Blind Ambition is allied to those many documentaries which follow participants preparing for some competitive event and ultimately lead to the occasion itself with viewers hoping that they will do well. Familiar as this format is, it continues to work well if ably handled. Here we have four highly engaging individuals in Joseph Dhafana, Marlvin Geese, Tinashe Nyamudoka and Pardon Taguzu. Luckily Coe and Ross prove most adept at presenting them to us. They incorporate into the narrative about the competition sequences which amount to mini-biopics of each of the four in turn. The placing of the material could not be more adroit – it amplifies what we see of their endeavours rather than disrupting the film’s flow – and there is just the right amount of time taken for each man to emerge as an individual whom we get to know along with his family. The fact that they are migrants living in disadvantaged circumstances gives real social weight to Blind Ambition. Indeed, however insightful the film is about international competitions among wine tasters, what is really important is the extent to which the filmmakers encourage us to see from the inside the situation in which these four Zimbabweans find themselves. 

There are aspects of Blind Ambition that are less than wholly successful. As is often the case with documentaries, the final scenes would benefit from being more succinct and one does feel that Coe and Ross are not quite certain how to treat the footage concerning the team's French coach, Denis Garret. When he first appears readily acknowledging that some people can't abide him, he comes over as an appealingly off-beat character. However, when Garret's impact on the team becomes questionable the filmmakers rather back away. But, if Blind Ambition is less than perfect, it is undoubtedly a film that works well on both of the levels on which it functions. Regardless of one's attitude to this international Wine Tasting Championship, the film’s human appeal could hardly be stronger.

MANSEL STIMPSON

Featuring  Joseph Dhafana, Marlvin Geese, Tinashe Nyamudoka, Pardon Taguzu, Denis Garret, Jancis Robinson, Jean Vincent Ridon, Jasper Morris, Andrew Caillard, Tamlyn Currin, Mynhardt Joubert.

Dir Rob Coe and Warwick Ross, Pro Rob Coe and Warwick Ross, Screenplay Warwick Ross, Rob Coe, Paul Murphy and Madeleine Ross, Ph Scott Munro and Martin McGrath, Ed Paul Murphy, Music Helena Czajka.

Third Man Films-Curzon.
96 mins. Australia. 2021. UK Rel: 12 August 2022. US Rel: 2 September 2022. Cert. 12A.