Below is an original poem inspired by this film:
What is life but the death of another?
What is light without shadows and hues?
What is advancement but the withering of promising green?
What is progress but the washing away of a grave?
Black and blue and red.
Laying in death’s bed.
Hopeless today.
Brown and green and white.
Out of voices in the night.
Hopeful tomorrow.
End of beginning.
Beginning of end.
This is not a burial,
It’s a resurrection.
This film is one that must be taken in with full attention. It’s not something that can be described well, quintessentially cinematic. There is a TON going on here that I know I just missed, culturally, visually, metaphorically. But I was still utterly overwhelmed by it. It also made me realize that I’m not sure I’ve seen many, if any, other movies made in Africa by Africans. So, that’s something I want to correct.
Here are some quotes that I just had to write down that stood out from the movie (but keep in mind, the film is mostly poetic both visually and in “dialogue”):
Every time I say the word progress, my tongue literally rolls backwards.
I don’t want to sleep, the night is so long. And when I stand up, I am just waiting for the time to arrive, so I can lie down again. I don’t want to sleep anymore and I don’t want to be awake anymore. Even though it feels so long, soon I will be with my family.
Many saw a death, but Ke’moralioamang (Daughter of No One) saw a resurrection. It wasn’t for the dead. But for the living.
