After recent trips to San Francisco, and to Space, and then back to San Francisco again, I have decided to go somewhere completely different in today’s offering. Today we travel to the dark continent of Africa, to the tiny western country of Senegal to examine Hyenas, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s 1992 film based upon a Swiss play by Friedrich Dirrenmatt called The Visit. As you would expect this is a foreign language picture; one well worth the time and effort.
Hyenas takes place in the formerly prosperous Senegalese village of Colobane. The township learns that a former daughter of the village made-good (Ramatou) is about to visit and the town folk see this as a chance to initiate the influx of cash necessary to restore their former way of life. The town rallies behind the grocer, Dramaan, who had a relationship with Ramatou in their youth, to convince her to bestow a financial gift upon the township. Ramatou arrives to great fanfare. She and Dramaan speak of their past. We learn that they were lovers, however Dramaan spurned her in favor of a wealthier match leaving her pregnant and the town pariah. Ramatou was forced to leave town become a prostitute. We also learn that her child died. She declares that she will become the town’s patroness, if the town folk obey her one demand. Kill Dramaan. The remainder of the film is dedicated to the town’s seduction by consumerism and the decision to carry through with Ramatou’s request to kill Dramaan.
Through the interplay between Ramatou and the town folk, Mambety makes a subtle comment on post-colonial Africa; particularly the insidious nature of western consumer culture, and the way it took hold of the souls of many Africans after the 1960s. The final shot of this film, bulldozers clearing the obsolete pieces of old Colobane to make way for a brand new city, compounds this message. Like the citizen of Colobane, African are losing the fundamental thing that they so longed for during colonial times- independence and a return to the more traditional ways of life. Although the control is gone, the lingering aspects of western culture particularly the culture of instant gratification through consumerism remain.
By using a simple parable of one man’s life being snuffed out in favor of the luxuries of western culture, a light is shed not just upon neocolonial Africa, but the ludicrous nature of western culture itself. The central problem of film could just as easily be moved to another part of the world and the message would be almost exactly the same. Selfish, wanton desire for whatever the latest luxury or fad that comes our way often takes precedence over the a greater ideal that in the long run would lead to better circumstances; many times these small luxuries come at a cost that few can fathom and often fail to recognize.
Along with razor sharp cultural commentary, Hyenas offers the colorful African vistas and cultural flourishes while exposing western cultures to the realities of life in Africa and the degree of poverty people live in. Though there are better and more affecting depictions of poverty and life in the slums in other films, Hyenas does not make the poverty experienced by the people of Colobane so unbearable that killing Dramaan would be akin to stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving family. The shades of gray are apparent and the viewer is left to make up their own minds as to what the appropriate course of action would be. Mambety trusts that the viewer is able to make up his or her own mind up and that they will be able to see the sheer barbarism in this situation.
The performances of the actors, particularly the actor and actress who play Dramaan and Ramatou, are all great. The actor who plays Dramaan, Mansour Diouf, is particularly enduring. His character is a man who has most likely mellowed through the passing of years, and whose sentimentality has colored his memories of the past. He comes across as someone’s warm hearted old grandfather, which makes the revelations of his past with Ramatou and the speed at which the town turns on him incredibly heart wrenching. Similarly the direction by Mambety is seamless and he is able to cut through some of the more serious themes of the script to find humor in this dark story. In spite of the dark scenario, many of the scenes involving the townsfolk and their newfound prosperity are played for laughs.
With Hyenas, yes you do have to suffer through subtitles and it is slightly more difficult to find, however it is worth the effort. It is a powerful and entertaining film that explores the darker side of man and the corruption of wealth on a grand scale, in an intimate setting. I find films from different areas of the world incredibly fascinating, and this film certainly fits the bill.
No comments:
Post a Comment