There's a chance that I am talking out of my backside here, there's always a chance of that though, but it feels as if the advances in technology that have allowed more and more people from more varied backgrounds to make movies has led to an increase in stories about individuals in the modern world dealing with the weight and repercussions of beliefs and traditions that stem from decades and centuries ago. I can sense some of you rolling your eyes and saying "thank you, Captain Obvious", but it's fascinating to see the number of creative talents who look to be striding towards a bright future making time to contemplate the path of history that has brought us all to where we are now.
Omen is, as I am sure you won't be surprised to learn after that ill-conceived opening paragraph, a film in which the main character, Koffi (Marc Zinga), returns to his birthplace, Kinshasa, where he struggles to maintain his sense of normality and self in the face of family members who give a lot of credence to beliefs that he has long tried to stay away from. A couple of coincidences don't help him, nor does the fact that he is now in a mixed-race relationship with a woman named Alice (Lucie Debay), who is also about to make him a father to twins. Will Koffi be able to convince people that he's not the devil some would think him, or should he just resign himself to the fact that some opinions can't be changed?
The feature directorial debut from Baloji Tshiana (billed as just Baloji), who had some help in the writing department from Thomas van Zuylen, this is an interesting and insightful character study, with one big problem. That problem is a surplus of characters worth studying, leading to most of the intertwining story strands feeling a bit unsatisfying, which is a real shame. Things work best in the many scenes that have Koffi and Alice at the heart of them, but there's an equally tantalising story to be told about Koffi's sister, Tshala (Elian Umuhire). We only get snippets though, as if we have eavesdropped on a conversation between people moving in and out of range.
Zinga and Debay both do brilliant work, struggling to maintain a brave face and a united front as those around them grow more openly hostile towards them. Viewers can easily feel that they're deserving of the happiness they shouldn't have to ask permission for. The same goes for Umuhire, who is affected in a more direct way by teeth of expectation that feel as if they have bitten down harder on her for attempting to avoid fully conforming to the lifestyle shared by many around her. Yves-Marina Gnahoua is an intimidating figure as Mama Mujila, and also does well, as does Marcel Otete Kabeya, but he is the one to suffer most from being surplus to requirements, in terms of the structure and pacing of the film.
While very culturally specific, Omen works as well as it does thanks to that universal experience of trying to re-adjust whenever heading back to family. Despite any other major issues, it's always a disorientating experience to visit people who may have you locked in their memory in a certain way while you have lived your life and grown and moved far away from what you once were. It's a battle to try and present your latest incarnation without upsetting those who may have preferred the old you, but it's important to avoid being dragged far back into your past.
If you've seen the short that Baloji did before this, an excellent 15-minute piece titled Zombies, then you will already have some idea of his style and intelligence. I'll be doing my best to check out the few other shorts that he has made, but I'll be very keen to see his next feature, whenever that comes along.
7/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do
consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A
subscription/follow costs nothing, and ALL of the links you need are here - https://linktr.ee/raidersofthepodcast
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share
No comments:
Post a Comment