I picked this one up because I’d never seen (or heard) any kind of entertainment form Burkina Faso. It turned out that this film had more truth and less entertainment than I was ready for.
“War opens our souls—and once the soul is open, demonscomes in.” –Commandant Moussa Cissé in La Nuit de la Vérité.
The Rundown
Behind the name: Direct Translation—The Night of Truth. All the action takes place in one night
Country: Burkina Faso/France, 2004
Genre: Historical Drama
Distributed by: The Global Film Initiative
Director: Fanta Régina Nacro
Cast: Naky Sy Savane (as Edna), Commandant Moussa Cissé (as Theo), Georgette Paré (Soumari), Amada Ouédraougo, Rasmané Ouédraougo, Sami Rama Goumbane (as Fatou), Capitaine Yves Thombiano (N’Gove), Capitaine Claude Kabore (as Youba), Odilia Yoni ( as Awa), Cedric Zida (As Honore), Raissa Andréa Yoni, Adama Ouédraougo (as Léonard), Troupe Naba Yaadéga (as the dancers), Serge Henry (as the driver).
Compare to: Hotel Rwanda
Hate it or Love it? Appreciate it.
Synopsis in a Sentence: Two ethnic groups in an un-named country
at war search for peace in one night but, in the process, old wounds are open, leaving new scars for hatred.
The truth is hard to swallow. This film was hard to put down. It’s raw, rough, and grimy. It unveils the disgusting accounts of war, genocide and hatred, and the worst part of it is that these tales are indeed true, and once happened.
On Writing: The Plot
The story itself is not bad. Nowhere near bad. But what it tells about is gruesome, disgusting and even repelling. The writing itself is very good, unveiling the topics of ethnic profiling, forgiveness, hated, murder, peace, suspicion, and in its own unique way, love. The plot allows us remember what we forgot, what once lied in the hearts of countrymen as they fought against oppression for their freedom. Mais, c’est très tragique. Which makes it good. What makes the writing is that it is real, so real that you may not even want to be told the story. It ends well, and although this is nasty work, it is very well done!
(4/5)
On Acting: The Cast
Real. After seeing them in this picture I doubt that they are not the same as their characters. It feels all true, all real. In fact, I’m convinced that some of them were playing themselves on-screen. And I’m not joking.
(4/5)
On Production: The Creativity
Think of this as a very creative fictitious documentary. The production was factual. In a few scenes, the camera allowed a point-of-view perspective, drawing in its audience, convincing us that we were there at that time. When necessary, the camera allowed for ample implications, trusting in its audience’s intelligent to work out the irony of the shots. And must I add that the production was real. Forget fantasy horror flicks that flaunt fiction in our faces. The picture this film paints is unapologetically grimy, characteristically gruesome, and yet tragically true. Kudos to Africa’s leading Female director, Fanta Régina Nacro.
The production was good.
(4/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
Before I get to the conclusion, I must state that I did not at all enjoy this film. It left with me a morbid, revolting, un-entertaining aftertaste. (In all manners possible—literally, I was revolted by the sight of food after this). That said, the film embodied the art of resolution with a Macbeth-meets-Romeo-and-Juliet-like artistry to its conclusion. I couldn’t have recommended a better conclusion.
It was artfully, artfully done.
(4/5)
The Verdict: It’s hard to take down, but after gulping gallons of over-sweetened film productions (sugar-coated realities), it may be worth pushing this down.
For your own good.
Overall Score = 16/20
I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but it had a lot of truth to it. Find out the truth for yourself. See La Nuit de la Verite. Watch an Interview with the director [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHyrZjM0vSQ]
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