Cast: Richard Bohringer, Said Diarra, Felicite Wouassi, Alex Descas, Clementine Celarie, Jean-Yves
Gautier
Director: Idrissa Ouedraogo
Screenplay: Idrissa Ouedraogo
Cinematography: Jean Monsigny and Jean-Paul Meurisse
No U.S. distribution planned
In French with subtitles
Director Idrissa Ouedraogo's sixth feature, The Cry of the Heart, takes us on a journey with strangers to a strange land, and shows us that demons, even if only imagined, can be devastatingly real. Sometimes, love and understanding aren't enough, and there are occasions when it takes the aid of an outsider to fight that single, decisive battle.
Moctar was born in France, but it is his "home" in name only. At age five, he and his mother, Saffi, had to move to Africa when Ibrahim, Moctar's father, could no longer afford to feed three mouths. Now, after years of separation, the family is reunited in France. But Moctar is suffering culture shock. He wants to return to Africa; everything about Europe seems wrong. Then he begins seeing a hyena roaming the streets of Paris, appearing in some of the most unexpected places. Since "there are no hyenas in France", everyone thinks he's hallucinating, with one exception: Paulo, a man Moctar meets on the streets, who sees in the boy a chance for atonement.
The Cry of the Heart has a tremendous gallery of characters participating in a deceptively simple tale that touches on a universal fear of the unknown. Moctar's hyena in obviously an allegorical figure, and his struggles represent an externalized war against the unfamiliar. Meanwhile, Paulo is battling to redeem himself by proving that isolated incidents in his past do not define the sum of his personality.
Ouedraogo handles his principal characters with a deft hand. Rarely is a husband-and-wife relationship portrayed with the genuine sense of affection and passion shown here, and the pair's concern for their troubled son is equally believable. This is toned-down and touching drama, not melodrama, and, along the way, we're treated to enough moments of levity to keep The Cry of the Heart from becoming needlessly somber.
Often, simple movies are the most stirring and emotionally-satisfying. Such is the case with The Cry of the Heart. It's an impressive motion picture because it touches on so many issues without appearing to do much at all. It can be enjoyed on many levels, from the deeply symbolic to the strictly realistic. However, regardless of what else an individual gleans from this film, the story of a family struggling to connect and communicate is likely to strike a responsive chord.
© 1995 James Berardinelli