Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Guava Island’ on Prime Video, Donald Glover’s Goodbye to Childish Gambino

Guava Island is a new film from actor-rapper Donald Glover which premiered the night before his final performance as Childish Gambino at Coachella 2019. It is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for free until 9 p.m. ET. Filmed on location in Cuba, directed by Glover’s frequent collaborator Hiro Murai, and written by Glover’s brother Stephen, it’s a brisk 55-minute piece that tells a story of music, freedom, greed and the oppressive nature of capitalism.  It also features renditions of Glover’s recent hit songs and serves as a goodbye to the Childish Gambino rap alias, which Glover announced he would be retiring after the “This Is America Tour.”

Guava Island: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The story begins like a fairy tale: Kofi (played by singer/superstar Rihanna, though she does not sing in the film) grew up on a small fictitious Carribean island hearing stories from her mom about the beautiful blue silk that grows on her homeland—and the greed that followed. One day, she hears a man named Deni (Glover) outside her window play the most beautiful music she’s ever heard (though she would never admit that to him), and they fall in love. Deni, with his open shirt and his guitar slung across his back, wrestles with the expectation that he and everyone else on the island should be working constantly for the island’s shady silk business tycoon Red (Nonso Anozie). Kofi and her best friend Yara (Letitia Wright) spend their days sewing in a sweatshop, while Deni splits his time between a sponsored radio show and the shipping docks.

Big boss Red doesn’t believe in days off—and that includes weekends—but Deni dreams uniting his island for one night of fun with a music festival. Red doesn’t like this, naturally, and warns Deni to call off the festival, or else. Of course, Deni, unable to stand the sight of all his friends and neighbors working themselves to death instead of enjoying their lives, puts on the festival anyhow, and he suffers the consequences. Throughout, the story is interrupted for remixes of Childish Gambino songs—including “This is America,” “Feels Like Summer” and “Saturday”—that tie loosely into the plot.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Glover himself has said that Guava Island was inspired by Prince’s 1984 musical drama Purple Rain and the 2002 Brazilian crime drama, City of Gods. But I was most reminded of Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer or Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Unlike those narratives, Guava Island is more film than music video, but like them, it blends the boundaries.

Performance Worth Watching: This is clearly Glover’s show, and that’s appropriate, given that he’s the one saying goodbye to Childish Gambino. He’s compelling, as always—all big earnest smiles, soulful glances, and pained looks whenever someone threatens his feel-good vibes. No one else gets much to do: Letitia Wright, who stole every Black Panther scene she was in, makes each second of her tiny part as Yara count, and Rihanna, while not doing much heavy-lifting acting-wise, is as luminescent on screen as ever.

Memorable Dialogue: When Deni gets flack from his coworkers for wanting to take a Sunday off of work, he exclaims, “We live in a paradise but none of us of the time or means to live here!” It’s a line that hits home the message of the film, and also suggests a certain self-consciouses Glover and his collaborators may have had as American tourists in Cuba (where they filmed).

Single Best Shot: Deni and Kofi enjoying a rare moment to themselves by dancing on the pier.

Sex and Skin: Donald Glover is not shy about his chest, and nor should he be—it’s a good one! Deni either has his shirt off or open for all 55 minutes of the film, save for one scene where he enters a church.

Our Take: Is it self indulgent to make a film starring yourself and your music as the savior of humanity—crucified by the oppressor but ultimately a martyr for the cause of enjoying life? Sure. And if he’d done this film without the final leg of his Childish Gambino career—aka “This Is America” and the ensuing tour—it’d be insufferable. But Glover has earned this one, and it feels like an apt goodbye. It has a political message—criticizing the capitalist systems that have people living for their work rather than working to live—but it’s a fairly mellow delivery. Mostly, Glover just wants us to feel the power of music, and feel free. (“Feel as free as you possibly can.”) And you can’t argue with the gorgeous cinematography provided by Murai and the island of Cuba.

Our Call: STREAM IT. As the closing chapter of his rap career under this particular alias, it’s must-watch for Childish Gambino fans. Plus, if you catch it before 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 13, it’s totally free! Just like how Glover wants us to be!

Stream Guava Island on Prime Video