Winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard New Vision Award, rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji’s magical realist drama is a dazzling debut.
Koffi (Marc Zinga) receives a frosty reception when he returns from Paris to Kinshasa, after a long absence, to introduce his pregnant fiancé to his family. An incident with his nephew convinces his mother that he’s possessed by an evil spirit and as Koffi struggles to find himself and return to normality, he stumbles upon a bizarre spiritual world that takes him upon a dizzying collision course with his former culture.
This magic realist film is a tale of family, relationships, suspicion and belonging, navigating a thin line between reality and sorcery to weave a thoroughly original, deeply impressionistic kaleidoscopic voyage to the edge of reason. Heady brilliant stuff.
