This is a film ostensibly about a young woman's quest to revisit the land of her childhood experiences. It deals more however with the complex relationship between her, her mother and the black house boy who is used at various times as a servant; a substitute father and substitute man of the house when her father is away doing administrative governmental work in other areas of the country.
As a child, the girl had difficulty making relationships with her peers and there is a restrained attraction between the mother, Aimee and Proteé, the house boy. Suppose a sexual relationship had developed between Aimee and Proteé, what then? The simmering tension is removed to be replaced by what? Clearly Aimee is not going to kick her husband out and set up house with Proteé and where would that leave him? To remain a servant and be picked up and put down, as the 'Lady Boss' saw fit. He would be in a worse position than before but without his dignity. In a situation where a hierarchy exists then sometimes it is better to not have what you want. The obvious answer is to get rid of the hierarchy which is what the end of colonialism was in theory moving towards but this also removes the family's reason for being there anyway. A telling scene not mentioned by others is when Aimee makes a subtle play for Proteé whilst he is drawing the curtains at the end of the day. Without saying a single word he brings her out of her reverie and leaves her in no doubt as to the nature of their relationship. Because she leads an unfulfilled existence she accuses her husband of being 'too nice' when in fact he has done nothing wrong.
The film ends with the clear conclusion that whether they are subjugated or not, westerners are definitely the black mans burden and it doesn't matter on the colour of your skin; whether theirs is the only culture you have ever known or how much you empathize with them, if you are not black and born there you are never going to be one of them. A distinct example of inverse multiculturalism.
In the final scene where the airport baggage handlers get caught in a tropical storm, it would have been nice if they had actually got wet. But, hey, life is not always about getting what you want.
As a child, the girl had difficulty making relationships with her peers and there is a restrained attraction between the mother, Aimee and Proteé, the house boy. Suppose a sexual relationship had developed between Aimee and Proteé, what then? The simmering tension is removed to be replaced by what? Clearly Aimee is not going to kick her husband out and set up house with Proteé and where would that leave him? To remain a servant and be picked up and put down, as the 'Lady Boss' saw fit. He would be in a worse position than before but without his dignity. In a situation where a hierarchy exists then sometimes it is better to not have what you want. The obvious answer is to get rid of the hierarchy which is what the end of colonialism was in theory moving towards but this also removes the family's reason for being there anyway. A telling scene not mentioned by others is when Aimee makes a subtle play for Proteé whilst he is drawing the curtains at the end of the day. Without saying a single word he brings her out of her reverie and leaves her in no doubt as to the nature of their relationship. Because she leads an unfulfilled existence she accuses her husband of being 'too nice' when in fact he has done nothing wrong.
The film ends with the clear conclusion that whether they are subjugated or not, westerners are definitely the black mans burden and it doesn't matter on the colour of your skin; whether theirs is the only culture you have ever known or how much you empathize with them, if you are not black and born there you are never going to be one of them. A distinct example of inverse multiculturalism.
In the final scene where the airport baggage handlers get caught in a tropical storm, it would have been nice if they had actually got wet. But, hey, life is not always about getting what you want.