This has been a film on my radar for a minute. One of the most celebrated films ever made. Touki Bouki was made by the Senegalese film-maker Djibril Diop Mambéty, whose mystical, surrealist style of film-making was and is very different from what most film-makers were doing in 1973 (and now). This film is a commentary on the malaise of post-colonial Senegal and sees a disillusioned couple hustle their way around town to get money and clothes to go to France. This film is highly similar to the film I reviewed previously, The Traveler (1974). Both films see their protagonists go after what they want no matter who they have to go through or scavenge from. The ending of this film is as shockingly-bittersweet as the other. Touki Bouki lays a very pointed critique of neocolonialism and capitalist greed that was taking hold of society. Economic injustice is a big part of Mambéty's films and I can't help seeing the similarities between this movie and a film I watched in February made by Mambéty's niece Mati Diop called Atlantics (which one the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival). Touki Bouki film is full on stream-of-conscious visual/audio art. Every scene in this movie looks amazing—the cinematography game is on point.
The audio of this movie, no less than the visuals, also made an impression upon me. The sounds on the surface seem chaotic, but you realize that they reflect the surroundings in a very precise way. The use of motifs are done very well here and play a part in the actual plot. Both audio and visual call-backs are used here in away that other film-makers around the world wouldn't pick-up for decades.
The director of this film said that it was on African cinema to reinvent cinema as a whole--this is a great foundation to start this process. I will definitely be watching more from this film-maker.
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