Night of the Kings

Written and directed by Philippe Lecote, Night of the Kings was screened outdoors at the Hollywood Legion Drive-in Cinema and the soft and cool breeze present throughout the film laid down an atmospheric ambiance that no indoor theatre could match. Blazing cinematography with vibrant red, orange, and yellow hues from cinematographerTobie-Marier Robitaille rivaled Roger Deakins Academy-award winning work from BladeRunner 2049.

Night of the Kings turned out to be a special Friday Night at the drive-in. In addition to the exceptional cinematography, epic (literally and figuratively) production design the stalwart performances, and the classic narrative combined with the writing and seemingly spontaneous choreography send this feature film into the stratosphere. Highly recommended!

A young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners. Night of the Kings is a really cool concept. Right away it's interesting and I kept wondering what would happen next. The writing for this is cool in the way that it's based on storytelling. The directing by Philippe Lacôte is very well done. But by far the thing that struck me most is the amazing ensemble. All of them have their own distinct characters and use it to the fullest. If the SAGs could nominate an ensemble that no one really knows about, this would be the one. Now, I do have some pacing issues and some of the execution didn't always work for me. But the crazy ending more than makes up for it. I would hope to see this at the Oscars or at least the Globes for international feature this year.

Not bad, not great, good. Beautifully shot with the potential for intricate storytelling, but lacking depth beyond the cinematography. It is a rollercoaster I'm glad to have ridden once, but won't be returning to.

Between this and Undine, magical realism as a genre is really putting in the work in 2021 😤

In Ivory Coast's notorious Maca prison where the inmates essentially run the place, the leader, Blackbeard is ill and under pressure to kill himself per tradition. He delays this by appointing a new 'Roman' who must tell a story for the prisoners, following which, unbeknownst to him, he will be killed.

Something of a unique experience in that the film primarily follows the actual story Roman is making up as he goes along in the hope that morning comes before he finishes, so that he can live. It's all rather weird - prisoners play out parts of the story - and troubling as a lot if what happens is loosely based on fact. Nicely and realistically acted by all involved, it's definitely not be for everyone, but worth catching nonetheless.