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| Yeelen |
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  (7/10)
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Runtime: 105 |
| Public Rating: 10.00 (2 votes) |
Director: Souleymane Cisse |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Foreign/Drama/Fantasy |
Year: 1987 |
| Writer(s): Souleymane Cisse |
| Distributor: 1 |
| Reviewed by: Goatdog |
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This being the first truly African movie I have ever seen, I am somewhat at a loss to discuss it, mostly because it is so completely alien to what I have come to expect from films. The title means "brightness" in the Bambara language of Mali, and refers to a brilliant flash of light that comes near the end of the film, that signals either the end of the world or the beginning of a new one. Given the somewhat optimistic outlook of the rest of the film, I am inclined to go with the new world theory. The film is "about" the generational struggle in African societies, as the younger generation rebels against what many see as the corrupt society left in tatters by the process of colonization and decolonization right up into the 1960s for many countries. It won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes in 1987.
Nianankoro (Issiaka Kane) is a young man of the Bambara in 13th century Mali, during that nation's reign as one of the greatest empires in world history (you've probably never heard of it; I only know about it because of an African history class I took). He is a magician of sorts, and is destined to free the world from the clutches of the evil and corrupt Komo cult, of which his father, Soma (Niamanto Sanogo), is the leader. He sets off across the desert in search of the means by which he can achieve his destiny. His mother (Soumba Traore) urges him to run with her, because she knows his father enough to know that he is evil and tireless. Nianankoro ignores her because he knows that his is an important task, even though it will probably result in his own death.
Meanwhile, Soma, the father, conducts several rites that show him the path his son will take, and he sets off across the desert as well, accompanied by two servants and his magic post that guides him. Soma is often blackly funny in his singleminded pursuit of his son. He marches across the barren country shouting to the gods to level the mountains and dry up the lakes so he can find his son and kill him, all the while following his poor servants who are jerked side to side by the magical but erratic post.
Nianankoro is captured by the Peul tribe, who accuse him of attempting to steal their cows. At this point, we get the first real indication of his power, as he arrogantly threatens the village with destruction if they don't free him. He paralyzes a man with a touch and electrocutes another who tries to take his satchel. Awed, the king of the Peuls (Balla Moussa Keita) asks for forgiveness and for his help in defeating a neighboring tribe. He also asks for help with a more personal problem involving his youngest wife, which leads to a really funny standoff and a road companion (Aoua Sangare) for Nianankoro.
The film is very effective in transporting you to its time and setting. It is both a form of entertainment and an educational tool. For example, it is apparently a practice of the Bambara to make an affirmative noise after nearly every sentence uttered by a speaker, I guess to show that you are listening. It sounds a bit like the "mmm-hum" sound that Billy Bob Thornton made in Sling Blade.
It is also utterly different from Western movies. You have probably seen European, Japanese, and maybe Chinese movies, and they more or less follow traditional linear-progressive storylines that we are used to. Even when you can't understand the language, you have a general idea of how the movie is going to work. This one, though, effectively did away with linearity in favor of a more cyclical approach. There was no strong indication that the events we were witnessing happened one after the other, or of how much time might have passed between events. You got more of a sense of the flow of events in an emotionally logical manner, instead of a strict A follows B way.
Admit it: most readers probably don't even know where Mali is, or where it is in Africa if they could pick the right continent. This is as good an introduction as any to a radically different lifestyle, and since you'd be watching a fictional movie, you could just ignore the fact that you're getting an education as well.
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