Yeelen: Souleymane Cissé

Watching Souleymane Cissé's Yeelen, I was reminded of another, more recent film from Mali that drew from its culture's mythological past: Adama Drabo's Skirt Power (1997). Both films engage legends with a cinematic language that is distinctly non-Western. In fact, to properly understand both films, extensive research is required on the part of the Western viewer into Mali's culture. But this isn't a fault. Instead, it represents the nascence of a distinctly African mode of cinematic storytelling. Yeelen may be difficult to watch for Western viewers what with its pacing described by one prominent reviewer as "funereal." But those willing to give Yeelen a chance, to parse out its imagery, and to explore the story within the context of modern Mali's political situation (the film seems to suggest in its ending that only through a child of all of Mali's kaleidoscopic cultures and ethnicities can the nation reach its true potential) will find an incredibly rewarding film. The film features a plot centered on a monomythic hero's quest: a young man with incredible magical powers named Niankoro must travel the world to find his uncle so he can get enough power to defeat his evil sorcerer father who is determined to kill him. Along the way he helps the unfortunate, becomes sexually initiated, and achieves his full potential as both a man and a magician. One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is the portrayal of Malian magic. Unlike Western magic where power resides in words (like "Abracadabra"), Malian magic relies on objects, fetishes, and crafts that must be built, carried, and controlled. During one scene where Niankoro helps a village fight off an army of invaders, he creates a magical item with a horse born hammered into a termite mound. When the invading army arrives, they are set upon by a massive horde of bees. Niankoro's father uses a giant magical log carried by assistants which he uses to channel the power of the gods. And Niankoro finally defeats his father in a battle where he uses a magical wooden post. This is only one example of Cissé's evocation of African culture. The rest are still there for intrepid viewers to discover for themselves.

9/10

I recently wrote about this movie over at Mubi. You can read my review here: https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/more-than-a-malian-monomyth-close-up-on-yeelen/