Senegal / France,
1997, 93 min
Shown in 1997
CREDITS
- dir
-
Moussa Sene Absa
- prod
-
Alain Rozanes, Pascal Verroust
- scr
-
Moussa Sene Absa
- cam
-
Bertrand Chatry
- editor
-
Pascale Chavance
- cast
-
Ismaël Lo, Ndèye Fatou Ndaw, Thierno Ndiaye, Ndèye Bineta Diop, Amadou Diop
- source
-
Flach Pyramide International, 5, rue Richepanse, 75008 Paris, France. FAX: 33-1-40-20-05-51
- premiere
-
North American Premiere
OTHER
This story of political corruption looks at changing values in an Africa plagued by ingrained social problems and the conflict between modernization and cultural traditions. Back from Europe and eager to use his political studies to help the people of Tableau Ferraille, his native village, idealistic Daam (Ishmael Lo) successfully runs for election in the nearby capital of Dakar. He marries village beauty Gagnesiri (Ndeye Fatou Ndaw), who is supportive and loving, but unable to bear children. Since an heir is indispensable to an upwardly mobile politician, Daam takes as his second wife the ambitious Kine (Ndeye Bineta Diop), who bears him a child and with it a meteoric rise in politics. Eventually, however, she becomes the catalyst for his downfall. Always greedy for more wealth, she sets up a lucrative scam with another politician, but Daam takes the blame when it crashes and burns. The story comes together in flashbacks recounted by Gagnesiri on the eve of her departure from the village to start a new life. The bitter, often painfully sad events surrounding Daam’s rise and fall are offset by the film’s light, often humoristic approach. Also providing an uplifting effect are the beautiful setting of the sunny Senegalese coast; the exuberant colors of the film’s art direction and costumes; and the warm, rhythmic tones of the music.
—David Rooney, Variety
FACTOID #319
The Library of Congress supplied the Festival with the only existing print of Double Indemnity for the Fred MacMurray tribute in 1987. The problem was, the reels were not marked for the projectionist. But the show must go on! The projectionist ordered the reels using his intuition and the gamble paid off—the film was screened in perfect sequence.
