La nuit de la vérité

The ethnic, religious, political and economic conflicts in Africa can regularly be found in small newspaper reports, but are seldom the subject of films – let alone of African feature films. So La nuit de la vérité is an exception, while also being the feature début by a female director. Nacro, whose short film Bintou (made in the series Mama Africa) was striking, did not shoot her technically immaculate début (with a part French and part African crew) in the city, but in a setting that looks universally African. The story is a classic history play, tragic yet ever hopeful, just like the continent itself. In an imaginary West African country, after ten years of Civil War, there is eventually some sign of peace negotiations between the government army of the Nayak, led by ‘Le président’ (Adama Ouédraogo), and the Bonande rebels led by Colonel Theo (Commandant Moussa Cissé – all the male actors in the film are soldiers in the army of Burkina Faso). But not everyone is in favour of peace and one can feel the tension. The son of the president was gruesomely murdered and his mother has still not gotten over his death. The Shakespearian village idiot Tomoto always seems capable of ruining the attempts for peace with violence and provocation. The night of truth starts with a festive dinner. (GT)