757. Yeelen

Yeelen
Brightness
1987
Directed by Souleymane Cisse

Like The Horse Thief, this is a film I felt really guilty about not liking.  Man, I really tried with this one but I couldn't help being bored.  Still, it was cool seeing a film from Mali.

Okay, I will do my best to give a plot summary here, but as my attention was wandering and the plot was confusing anyway, don't expect anything too descriptive.  Basically, Niankoro has magical powers which are resented and feared by his father.  Niankoro escapes with his mother but his father follows him, using a magical wooden stick for guidance.

After doing a bit of research I discovered that Cisse resents the analyses put forth by many Western critics.  In fact, we aren't even supposed to view this as a fantasy film.  Obviously the cultural gap is enormous here, which makes this movie pretty hard to enjoy.  I will definitely defend its place on The List, but it isn't something I would recommend unless you are really trying to get a grasp of world cinema.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Filmed in Bambara and Fula languages.