Yeelen

Souleymane Cisse's groundbreaking feature makes no concessions to Western attitudes or tastes, but why should it? It's a truly African experience, made from a totally native perspective and set in a timeless, pre-colonial landscape, where sorcery and enchantment are merely extensions of natural law. The story unfolds in the epic tradition of true mythology, with the young son of a despotic tribal magician embarking on a fabulous quest for wisdom and enlightenment, which in the end will not only bring him face to face with his powerful father but usher him into manhood as well. There's a genuine sense of discovery to the film, both for its visionary depiction of Bambara tribal folklore, and also in the thrill of witnessing a local African production break into the international arena. Unlike other examples of Third World cinema this is no simple, primitive anthropology lesson, but a handsome, sophisticated motion picture every bit as luminous as the title suggests.

Its director, Souleymane Cissé, from Mali in West Africa, has expressed his desire to make films which are uniquely African in style rather than imitating those of the United Sates or Europe… To this end he relies on stories, true and mythical, told by old men and handed down through the generations…

A young warrior (Issiaka Kane), threatened with death by his evil sorcerer father (Niamanto Sanogo), goes on a journey where he learns the power of magic… The film inhabits a world of dreams, but not the kind described by Dr Freud…

However, the movie's basis in a mystical tradition does not render it inaccessible to Western audiences… The structure of the narrative, based on a quest for magical knowledge and power, is clear and firm, and the consistent pattern of imagery based on the elements of fire, water, earth and light (the title translates as 'brightness') is not specific to African culture… The film's use of landscape, yellow spaces of the desert, is one of its chief glories… The performers too have great charm

See this film! A gorgeous use of cinema from an African point-of-view. There is almost no music track which helps to emphasize the wide open spaces of the African desert. Very simple but effective use of reverse film technique for supernatural effects. A very stunning film for the adventurous filmgoer.

Here is a great opportunity. The chance to discover how human beings were BEFORE getting trapped in the WEB (excuse the pun) of technology. Man's respect and position in/for nature, reminiscent of those ties which still (barely) exist amidst the Maoris and Eskimoes, and the surviving Indios. Africa, the mother of mankind. Magic, NOT as Hollywood sees it. And for N.Y. intellectuals and Viennese literati, a Freudian twist which is as old as Mythology. The Father/Son clash. This ranks alongside the best of Satyajit Ray, and , in some ways, shares his themes. This is Brother Africa as Ray is Sister India. This is the intense celebration of Man's strength, and of his weakness. An African masterpiece. A patient sequence of revelations. A real JEWEL. And if you are here, you are either a lucky newcomer or a lucky viewer. Thankyou Sissé. Thankyou Africa!

This film is incredible. Africa has richer culture and history than any of us will ever understand, much of it lost to the sands of time and colonialism. This film offers a window on the past using real people and real destinations filmed in the mid 80s as a backdrop to the story. The actors are real. The location is real. One of the best films I've ever seen about Africa. This from a person who has been fortunate enough to live in Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe and visited 25 African countries.

This is an opportunity to experience a film that also feels like a documentary about an Africa that is now lost or almost gone.