Yaaba

Get those negative clicks out kiddies; this isn't going to be as optimistic…

"Yaaba" is one of those simplistic powerful films. It creates a strong juxtaposition between the youth of Africa and the less-wise elders, which should leave the average viewer hours of contemplation and possible discussion. It is a film that should be pondered and probably re-watched (if found) over time, yet the strength to watch this mere 90 minute feature seemed to escape me. To repeat, "Yaaba" is a powerful film and the overall message of friendship and fear, coupled with adult incompetence is tremendous – yet I cannot stand behind this film. I believe in this film, but, alas, it is not one I could recommend to friends or even begin to watch again. "Yaaba" was a singular experience, served cold.

"Yaaba" failed to compete with others of this nature for several reasons. The first being the lacking plot, and missed exposure to outside elements. As an amateur viewer to African cinema, perhaps this wasn't the best film to begin, but knowing the simplicity of the story – there was an eagerness to dive in. Yet, it provided no background or reasons. When one watches "Yaaba", the exiled woman is already in place, the married drunk is already in place, and the rival children are … well … already in place. As viewers, we are not handed anything to begin our journey nor to discover – it handed right to us without reason or recourse. This was bothersome because it didn't allow each character to become something different – the elder was always scorned, the men were always right, and the children created their own world outside of all of this. A brief introduction to these characters, not necessarily about the region itself, would have helped secure the power behind each character. Bila was a likable character, but why did he befriend. What was in his persona that allowed him to do that? Then the knife-cut on his cousin Nopoko was never suspected, forcing us to befriend Bila's decisions instead of discovering a sense of community. The village was doing everything possible, yet we feel frustration towards them – is that right?

Director Ouedraogo does a decent job of working within the lines, but it feels that we are forced into one direction, without allowing the audience to "fall emotionally" with anyone in the film. When the dramatic moment near the end is finally revealed, it felt needed, not surprising or tear-jerking. This is an emotional film. The characters are in place to provide involvement from the viewer, but it feels like it isn't allowed. This is point A to point B to point C storytelling, which works, but for this film it just felt static. Again, I cannot stress the idea that "Yaaba" was a great visual story, the images of the land, the use of uniform colors kept with the social standing, but the emotion just felt drained from the canvas. The music was bold, the images were contextual, but nothing about what the characters did mattered. "Yaaba" was a structured film, and thus the Earthy nature could not fully be conceived.

To close, I did like "Yaaba" for the ability to see stories from other countries of the world, but in retrospect I just couldn't feel the actions of our characters. I wanted to fall for Bila's decision, I wanted to cheer for his defiance, I wanted to tear up with Nopoko was ill – but it never happened. That is the biggest disappointment for this film. I understand the symbolism, the idea that children are smarter than adults, and so forth – but it never reached that next level. It never became identifiable. I wasn't able to connect to this film. A personal sentiment, but for future viewers, be forewarned. New Yorker Video (now debunked) did a great job of a VHS release, but it cannot come close to creating the much needed emotion lacking from Ouedraogo's feature.

Grade: ** out of *****

The title character of Yaaba says of a woman having an affair, '...she may have her reasons'. (Or so the English subtitle runs, as I cannot speak More). Yaaba could be likened to Renoir's La Regle du Jeu in that it is sympathetic with all of its characters. The script suggests that 'Everyone has his reasons' : thus we can like both Kougri and her husband Noaga who she is cuckolding.

The film appears to be shot with fast stock, it is difficult to detect artificial lighting in the shots. The compositions are not obviously artificial either, with the bustle of village (in deep focus) creating an open framing and camera-work which is unobtrusive. This realism created by the cinematography is part of sympathy the film creates - because it does not appear to manipulate or distrust its characters.

Similarly the film has a plot, but apparently 'incidental' action submerges it. Early in the film a characteristic deep long shot allows us to follow Bila and his father, but the dominant focus is actually on a random shepherd who briefly holds most of the screen space. Then instead of following Bila, the camera switches to Kougri, bringing in the narrative of her and her lover, unrelated to the title character. The film hides its plot to appear unmanipulated.

The clearly artificial element of the film is the musical score, though for the most part the film uses 'found' sounds, crickets, the wind and the background chatter of voices. The music is used to create subtle motifs to enhance the realism of the film though. For example, after Bila gifts the stolen cockerel to Sana, the score accompanies a pan of the bush which stops 'some time later' on the scene of the pair eating the chicken. It is as if Ouedraogo creates a buffer with the score and the pan so that ellipsis does not artificially juxtapose two shots.

Yaaba is a typical realist film. The unobtrusive form allows the camera to 'wander' through the village like an impartial observer, taking in an earthy mix of sex and chickens. This makes the characters sympathetic and creates a strongly humanistic impression, more powerful than Bila's sententious repetition of Sana's '...she may have her reasons' (which might have been a Hollywood director's choice to convey a film's 'message' eg Rick's speech in Casablanca).

The very touching story of Yaaba examines a major aspect of African and societies; the complicity between the young and the old. Through his contact with Yaaba, the young man discovers his ability to comfort her. As he chooses to ignore the distance set by the rest of the village he undoubtedly becomes a man.

Director Ouedraogo visits a theme he knows, as he grew up in a rural setting. The emotions aroused as he pictures the Savannah countryside wearing a pale aspect during the Harmattan season is perfect. The sounds of nature are beautifully captured, and the sharp voices of the innocent children seem to cast a spell of immortality over this old lady.

A proof that where such inspiration and ability to convey emotions exists, appropriate means can contribute to making better movies. Idrissa Ouedraogo's script could have been better exploited by a more experienced crew. The inadequacy between the emotions expressed and the music is unfortunate, though the script makes this a good movie.

It is really sad that films from Africa have largely been ignored by audiences all over the world.It might be because of the dismal state of African politics which has cast an evil eye on African cinema. Idrissa Ouedraogo is the director who has popularized African cinema with his simple yet realistic tales which provide us a profoundly honest yet a dedicated view of harsh African realities.The proof of Ouedraogo's popularity lies in the fact that not only his films have won critical acclaim at film festivals all over the world but have also been successful at box office wherever they have been screened.In "Yaaba",Idrissa Ouedraogo shows us two different worlds which are diametrically opposite each other.On the one hand there is a world of kids,games and innocent fights.On the other hand there is the world of adults full of hypocrisy,adultery,drunkenness and irresponsible behavior.Ouedraogo draws an interesting parallel between these two dissimilar worlds.The film's title character "Yaaba" is labeled as a witch and asked to live outside the village.This is a simple story about the status of old people in African society told with amazing grace.Ouedraogo who has learned film-making in Russia and France knows how to deal with some serious topics too.It is amazing how he tackles the issue of adultery which is a minor theme in the film.The message of the film "Yaaba" has global implications as it has links and threads which can be found in any ancient civilization.