BRIGHTNESS
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1988 Jeff Meyer
BRIGHTNESS (Mali, 1987)
Director/Screenwriter: Souleymane Cisse Cast: Issiaka Kane, Niamanto Sanogo, Aoua Sangare, Soumba Traore
I spent a lot of my formative years hanging around the Bowie Public library in Maryland, haunting the adult and young adult stacks for the latest subject that had piqued my interest (sharks, UFOs, parapsychology). After an hour or two of rummaging (while Mom was off at the Food Giant), I would make a short detour into the children's section, examining the folklore sections for any new additions. English, Irish, Czech, Polish, German, Chinese, Russian and French -- stories told in these countries were (are) a pleasure to me; many were very similar to one another, despite the differences between cultures, but each had a distinct air which made the common elements more interesting.
While I read African folktales less frequently, I found them on average to be more diverse; the elements which were found in so many other cultures' folklore were absent, or seen under a very different light. They were more exotic and mystical, yet also more direct. Watching the first two-thirds of BRIGHTNESS is like curling up with a book of Kenyan folktales and letting your imagination wander as you read them. BRIGHTNESS tells the story of a boy and his mother, who have been chased all their lives by the father, a powerful magician who wants the boy dead (a family tradition, it seems). The boy leaves his mother to seek out his uncle and beg his aid, and this is where the film is most enjoyable, as it follows his journeys. A magician in his own right, the boy converses with various spirits, casts spells, helps a king and takes a wife -- the elements of several classic folktales pop up throughout it.
The last one-third, however, stretches out for too long, and frankly I didn't quite understand what happened. The ending the enigmatic feel of 2001, and I was wondering whether the director was trying to sneak in some message about nuclear war. If he did, it was obscure enough not to be apparent. I am assuming my ignorance of the culture is the reason I didn't "get" the ending.
For anyone enjoying folklore (especially African folktales), this is a beautiful example of one being brought to film. Others may find it too slow for their tastes. For me, it was like a story told around the fire, unfolding leisurely, but stopping to look by the wayside as it moves along.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
INTERNET: moriarty@tc.fluke.COM
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