Oka!

The source material for this film is the memoir LAST THOUGHTS WHILE VANISHING FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH by Louis Sarno, but that text is significantly different from this film. Number one for me, the protagonist "Larry", is nowhere near as charming nor funny as the real Louis Sarno, though the character evidently has some of the same diseases as him. Louis was hired as an advisor and facilitated actual Aka (pygmy) people appearing in the film. They are the most authentic part of it, along with locations in the Central African Republic. Within that country relations among people and groups can be quite complicated (well-shown in Sarno's text,) but for dramatic effect a logging company becomes the chief adversary and the actor Isaach De Bankolé is wasted as a one-note villain.

Oka means 'Listen' in the Pygmy language. Louis Sarno is an American author who in the mid 1980s spent time with Bayaka Pygmy tribe in the Central African Republic.

Sarno recorded their music and his experiences were published as Song From The Forest, which was included among the '99 books that capture the spirit of Africa' by Geoff Wisner.

If you want to know more about Sarno you will not find out from this curious film, it tells you little about him or what exactly he is dying off as the early scenes are with a doctor in the USA. Sarno is still alive and lives in CAR.

British actor Kriss Marshall plays the American author and throws himself in the role as he has to speak with an American accent as well as French and local dialect. There is plenty of scenes in the jungle which leads to some beautiful scenery and scenes with the local tribes as they stave off industrialisation. There is some colourful indigenous music but the plot is slight, in fact there really is not one.

The lack of a plot means the film gets dull very quickly from an interesting beginning. The film wants to give a message of conservation but it is muddled. The tribe does not view life with western eyes. The biggest failing is you do not get to learn about the man himself. An amiable diversion for people interested in Africa.

I'll likely effectively not remember 'Oka!' in a few days. It's not necessarily 'bad' - 'forgettable' is more apt.

Kris Marshall feels like quite odd casting, but he does the job no doubt. Will Yun Lee, Isaach de Bankolé and Mapumba do their bit too, but to be honest I wouldn't say it's a film that has noteworthing acting/actors. Elsewhere, the story is meh - I didn't really get into it unfortunately. Also, is it just me or do the wild animals (namely the elephants) look uncanny, I genuinely couldn't tell if they used special effects or not.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this one. I rate the Central African Republic visuals, mind.

I found Oka! to be an interesting and entertaining movie. The story is compelling and I felt constantly challenged to confront the western culture in which I live with this foreign ancient rainforest tradition that has survived against the enormous pressure of the outside world. Although it's true that it doesn't have very much depth as far as the work of Louis Sarno is concerned and the plot develops very much in the vein of a commercial movie, I still found this picture to be quite honest, beautiful and unique. I think it is a nice introduction to the life of the Bayaka pygmies and the curious life of Louis Sarno. For me it was an interesting blend of documentary and fiction. Loved it.

"Oka!" reminded me of the 2000 movie "Songcatcher", which depicted a woman traveling through the Appalachians recording the people's songs. In this case, a man goes to an unidentified African country - though the flags mark it as the Central African Republic - to record the music and wildlife while some sketchy deals take place. I understand that it's based on a man named Louis Sarno; I had never heard of him before watching this movie. Whatever the case, it's a fine piece of work. Part of the thing is that I like seeing movies that show cultures that we don't often see. If you're into world music, this one, "Genghis Blues" and "Buena Vista Social Club" are must-sees.

In addition to lead actor Kris Marshall, the cast includes Isaach de Bankolé (an occasional co-star in Jim Jarmusch's movies as well as 2006's "Casino Royale") and Peter Riegert (Boone in "Animal House").