- Film Review
- Reviewed By David Parkinson
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4 out of 5
With its hard-hitting content, dense symbolism and seemingly haphazard structure, this treatise on the continuing agonies of Africa is far from an easy watch. In a communal courtyard in the Malian capital of Bamako, an extraordinary "trial" unfolds that involves a counsel for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and witnesses testifying to the continent's systematic exploitation as a result of their financial policies. As the debate continues, the action shifts between moments of everyday drama (a quarrelling couple) and a pastiche western showing on television (starring Danny Glover and Palestinian director Elia Suleiman). Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako makes his agenda clear from the outset. But he avoids polemic by leavening the rhetoric and statistics with casually observed incidents - mostly concerning singer Aïssa Maïga and her unemployed husband, Tiécoura Traoré - that give a human face to the political iniquities and inadequacies under discussion. Complex, unconventional and often cuttingly satirical, this is a challenging, fascinating and deeply disconcerting experience.
Plot Summary
Satirical political drama. As a Malian husband and wife struggle to keep their marriage alive, a trial held on their property assesses the impact of globalisation upon African society.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Melé
- Aïssa Maïga
- Chaka
- Tiécoura Traoré
- Saramba
- Hélène Diarra
- Falaï
- Habib Dembélé
- Chaka's sister
- Djénéba Koné
- Journalist
- Hamadoun Kassogué
- President of the tribunal
- Hamèye Founé Mahalmadane
- Prosecuting lawyer
- William Bourdon
- Prosecutor
- Magma Gabriel Konaté
- Defense lawyer
- Mamadou Konaté
- Cowboy
- Danny Glover
- Cowboy
- Elia Suleiman
Crew
- Director
- Abderrahmane Sissako
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