He visto una pelicula que realmente me ha gustado, pero me llevo un tiempo “digerirla”. No es que sea un film dificil que uno debe pensar mucho para entender, justamente lo contrario, es tan simple que es la clase de peliculas que nunca lo dejan a uno y que a medida que pasa el tiempo aprecia cada vez mas. La pelicula se titula Dreams of Dust (Reves de Poussiere en su lenguaje original; no se cual es el titulo “oficial” en español) y fue dirigida por Laurent Salgues. La historia es simple: un hombre de Niger va a buscar trabajo a una mina de oro en Burkina Faso; el trabajo es duro, peligroso y no te pagan mucho por arriesgar tu vida.
La pelicula tiene poco dialogo, la historia es abierta y llena de incognitas de las que solo podemos adivinar las respuestas, pero es facil identificarse con los personajes, sufrir con ellos, y entender mucho de Africa en general.
Porque aunque la pelicula fue filmada en Burkina Faso y representa algo que ha pasado alli (y quizas todavia esta pasando) uno puede ver que la lucha de esos hombres y mujeres es la misma que la del resto de la gente de ese continente.
En este caso, esos hombres deben descender largos tuneles por debajo de la tierra solo armados con un par de linternas, un martillo y un pedazo de tela, a romper trozos de rocas para luego subirlas a la superficie para romperlas en pedazos pequeños y quizas encontrar algo de oro.
Sus vidas no valen nada, y ellos lo saben, solo se estan escondiendo de un pasado que no conocemos o quizas escapando de un presente que no tiene mucho para ofrecer. Hay poca esperanza, y no mucho que hacer al respecto.
La pelicula es triste, no hay duda de ello, pero refleja muy bien como millones de personas estan sobreviviendo en Africa; sean las minas de oro en Burkina Faso, o las calles de Addis Ababa en Etiopia. El director ciertamente conoce el tema muy bien.
No esperen encontrarse con un film lleno de accion, aventura o dialogo; el ritmo es lento pero uno no puede dejar de verla. Nada esta completamente explicado y el guion es abierto, pero si les gustan las peliculas que hacen pensar, esta es para Uds.
La fotografia es extraordinaria, uno puede hasta respirar el polvo, sentir la arena y el peso de las rocas en los hombros del personaje principal.
Los actores son muy buenos, especialmente Makena Diop que representa el papel de Mocktar, un hombre de campo de Niger, que refleja muy bien la silenciosa y reflexiva personalidad del pueblo africano.
La pelicula esta hablada en frances con subtitulos en ingles, el sonido del idioma frances le agrega un placer extra.
Cliqueen aqui para mirar el trailer.
AliciA
3 users commented in " Peliculas sobre Africa: Sueños de polvo "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackback[...] carry such a task and in a way it will become for him a journey of self discovery. Again, like in Dreams of Dust, the story moves slowly with plenty of pauses to think. The dry and dusty landscape with its ochre [...]
I saw Dreams of Dust. It was a brilliant film. The lensing and landscapes reminded of the virtuoso opening of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001.
I object to comments like the review above that speak of “the reflective personality of the African people”, or how the story in the film is somehow the story of all people in Africa. This is no more true than “The Grapes of Wrath” was the story of all people in Canada, the US and all of South America. Africa is not a country, or a cause. It is a huge continent of 53 countries. It is meaningless to speak of Africa as though it is one place. There is a greater diversity of peoples, cultures, languages, environments and situations in Africa than anywhere else on the planet. There is less of the thing called and “African personality” as there is a single common personality type in Russia, China, Indonesia and India.
Such remarks betray a kind of racist view of “Africa” as a lumpen mass of undifferentiated “Africans”. To view them as uniformly “dignified” is no less racist than viewing “Africans” as uniformly pitiable. Africa has more human genetic diversity than any other area of this planet: meaning that there is no other place where you are more likely to find different personalities, biological traits, human forms and human nature. Any two random people on the African continent are likely to be more different than a Norwegian from a Chinese person - and may share more genetic traits in common with either one of these than each “African” with the other “African”.
Social and environmental conditions are just as diverse on that continent. I worked for 2 years in Lagos in a modern office, surrounded by air-conditioned offices. I bought fast-food and went to clubs and parties with other “Africans”. This was also “Africa”.
There are many who suffer the fate of those depicted in this film. Desperation, destitution, redemption and deprivation can be found mere blocks from the U.S. White House - or in the “heart of darkest Africa”.
I respect your opinion, but I never said that “all Africans are the same”, to imply that from my review of the movie is quite a stretch…
Unfortunately I haven’t seen any continent that suffers from the same kind of problems in each and every country of it, and in each and every ethnicity as Africa. That’s what I meant as “Africa” and actually that’s what MANY Africans said to me.
Where you born in Africa? It looks like you were just “visiting” the continent and living the privileged life of a few… lucky you. I come from a third world country too, and I know what I’m talking about. I’m sorry, but the “good life” of certain cities IS NOT the standard of “Africa”, I’m glad you enjoyed the parties, the gym, and the fast food but that’s far from the main reality of “African” countries and “African” people, and sure many other parts of the world, but in this case I’m just reviewing a movie from “Africa” and not South America, but sure I could talk a lot about that part of the world too since I also lived the life of the “Sudacas”, very similar to those of the “Africans”.
I could go on forever, but what’s the point, you will never get it. Sure you live in “a wonderful world” of diversity and equality. Good for you!
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