Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: SOUMSOUM - THE NIGHT OF THE STARS [Berlinale - Berlin, Germany]
The idea of culturally specific movies is key in any market but it is also finding those universal elements that play to these strengths. Sometimes these elements have only to do with dialogue and knowledge of filmmaking but it is important to make these strides. "Soumsoum: The Night Of The Stars" [Competition] takes place in Central Africa in Chad where certain cultural structure and the patriarchy still function heavily in society. But speaking to these ideas through a tad of genre helps to approach the ideas even in what is considered a high risk country and very poor creating a form of entertainment content while also being social commentary. People in this part of Chad there still live their life in what they have and find joy in their perspectives even if they don't turn out exactly the way they had hoped. The film follows Maïmouna Miawama as Kellou, a teenager whose mother died in childbirth. As a result, the village thinks her a bit of a witch as she was born from blood. She wants to be normal but doesn't think she is. She keeps to herself but she also has a boyfriend in Baba. One of the first images we see is of her swimming inside a oasis somewhere in the desert. The stark nature of the background is very interesting (but we really don't get a sense of its grandeur until the final moments of the film). The town simply wants to scorn her but she finds a kindred soul in Aya (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane) who knew her mother but also in certain ways suffers from visions (like Kellou).
At the inset of the film many babies are dying of sickness and the town leaders simply blame it on bad omens (Aya specically being one of them). Aya has something akin to consumption but Kellou doesn't think about that. This is the only person that really understands what she is feeling and what she is seeing. Kellou's father, who is now married and has a child with another woman, loves his daughter (you can see that) but he is handcuffed by the societal implications and functioning on a daily basis. When the idea comes to a head (and it is not just a matter of honor but of culture), Kellou does make a decision but it is one that she has been seeing in her visions. The journey she undertakes is both stark and practical. This is when the cinematography of Mathieu Giombini does shine. He does some interesting twilight photography (though ops for simple coverage for most of the film). However when they get out into the expanse of the deserts in this region, there are some very wide vistas and drone shots which haven't really been done in that part of the world. The original score composed by Central African musician Bibi Tanga is also quite innovative and specific for this film and really elevates it at times. Ultimately the journey of Kellou is to find out who she is even though she has alienated almost everyone close to her. But the take away from her visions is that there might be more to who she is though her world seems determined to box her in. "The Night Of The Stars" was also supported by the Red Sea Fund which is really highlighting and pushing new voices in the region but also giving viewpoint to the changing social elements as well which is an important part of any filmmaking community. B
By Tim Wassberg
