La lumière

See this film! A gorgeous use of cinema from an African point-of-view. There is almost no music track which helps to emphasize the wide open spaces of the African desert. Very simple but effective use of reverse film technique for supernatural effects. A very stunning film for the adventurous filmgoer.

This fascinating and esthetically moving film should be seen by all who want to understand the deeper meaning of initiation and its role in a not-so-primitive society. It is useful if not indispensable to have some knowledge of sub Saharan Africa, and to realize that these Dogon and Peulh people not only have a detailed cosmogony but believe in reincarnation and know of stars we only see through a telescope. Their metaphysics were so powerful that one of the first Islamic universities, in Timbuctoo, was created for them. Aside from this, the directness and superior acting make Yeelen one of the Eighties' best cultural products.

Yeelen is a film that's very difficult to describe, and that wouldn't sound appealing to most even if one can. One thing that can't be denied however is that it's fascinating, not just the events in the movie itself but the experience of watching it. The oddly dynamic and hypnotic visuals, strange often abstract plot, and complete antipathy towards traditional western standards of storytelling. At first I wasn't sure what to make of the film, but when I witnessed the films final shot I came to appreciate it. Maybe not understand it all thematically, but appreciate it none the less. It certainly made me curious to learn more about African cinema. And ignoring the story entirely the movie still works on a purely technical standpoint, gorgeous cinematography especially.

Souleymane Cisse's groundbreaking feature makes no concessions to Western attitudes or tastes, but why should it? It's a truly African experience, made from a totally native perspective and set in a timeless, pre-colonial landscape, where sorcery and enchantment are merely extensions of natural law. The story unfolds in the epic tradition of true mythology, with the young son of a despotic tribal magician embarking on a fabulous quest for wisdom and enlightenment, which in the end will not only bring him face to face with his powerful father but usher him into manhood as well. There's a genuine sense of discovery to the film, both for its visionary depiction of Bambara tribal folklore, and also in the thrill of witnessing a local African production break into the international arena. Unlike other examples of Third World cinema this is no simple, primitive anthropology lesson, but a handsome, sophisticated motion picture every bit as luminous as the title suggests.

If absolutely nothing else, "Yeelen" offers a look at a society that we in the west don't often get to see. In this case, it's the Bambara people of Mali; the movie also includes the Dogon and Fulani. Having taken a sociology-anthropology class, I already knew about them. The plot centers on a warrior having to battle an evil sorcerer who is also his father.

I should identify that this is not a movie for people with short attention spans: the action moves along very slowly. But don't worry. Despite how it takes a long time for everything to happen, you feel like you've gotten a lot out of the movie. Above all, I like to see how Africans view themselves as opposed to how we in the west view them. So I certainly recommend this movie.