Still going strong at age 81, Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene remains the leading filmmaker of sub-Saharan Africa. When his movie “Faat Kine” appeared on the art house circuit in 2000-2001, it was a delightful reminder that this artist, though not a prolific filmmaker, is still an important one.
His new picture, “Moolaade,” is meant to be the middle part of a trilogy that began with “Faat Kine.” Their stories are not related, but the feeling for ordinary people and powerful women is the same.
In a village, the rite of female circumcision is beginning. A group of young girls flees the ceremony and finds refuge in the home of Colle, whose husband is away on a trip. (He has three wives living in the household.) Colle protected her now-teenage daughter from “purification,” as it is called by the elders, so the girls hope she can shelter them.
The elders, and the women who perform the circumcisions, confront Colle at the entrance gate to her home, but it’s too late: she has laid a “moolaade” over the place. No one can break into the sanctuary of her property, lest they violate the ancient taboo.
This keeps the girls safe, but when the husband comes home, the villagers taunt him about his wife’s dominance. Meanwhile, a young prince of the tribe has just returned from Europe, and the controversy could jeopardize his possible marriage to Colle’s daughter.
We learn much about village life as the stalemate unfolds. A traveling peddler, a self-styled womanizer, sets up his wares and hears all the gossip. Transistor radios form an unexpected link to the outside world. The wives keep a humorous attitude with each other, even when they are married to the same husband.
In fact, “Moolaade” is much funnier and more enjoyable than it probably sounds. Female genital mutilation is still practiced in many African countries, and Sembene has made this movie in part as a political act of protest.
Nevertheless, this is a very engaging picture with a strong sense of humor. The village itself (filmed in Burkina Faso) is a fascinating place, with its deep colors and age-old homes – until somebody brings out a radio, the story could be taking place a hundred years ago.
The actors do not appear professional or polished, which adds to the film’s effect. Sembene’s style has the simplicity and lack of fuss that great directors get when they grow old. He doesn’t have anything to prove, and the movie unfolds with a plain straightforwardness that doesn’t call attention to itself. Yet the final series of shots proves that the selection of visual images has mattered all along.
Sembene has said that he makes films for Africans; he doesn’t gear his approach for the larger, Western audience. That is probably why “Moolaade” feels like such a rare and authentic look at the other side of the world – not so much “about” Africa as “of” Africa.
“Moolaade” HHHH
Color and humor: When girls hide in her household to avoid the ritual practice of female circumcision, a woman in an African village protects them with a powerful hex. This engaging film from master director Ousmane Sembene has social outrage but also lots of color and humor. (In Jula and French with English subtitles.)
Rated: Not rated; probably PG-13 for subject matter.
Now showing: Varsity.
“Moolaade” HHHH
Color and humor: When girls hide in her household to avoid the ritual practice of female circumcision, a woman in an African village protects them with a powerful hex. This engaging film from master director Ousmane Sembene has social outrage but also lots of color and humor. (In Jula and French with English subtitles.)
Rated: Not rated; probably PG-13 for subject matter.
Now showing: Varsity.
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