La nuit de la vérité (2004)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Fanta Régina Nacro

Writers:

Marc Gautron (writer)
Fanta Régina Nacro (writer)

Release Date:

6 July 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

La Nuit de la Vérité is situated in an imaginary West African country. After ten years of civil war beween the government army of the Nayak...

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Moussa Cissé	...	Col. Theo
Adama Ouédraogo	...	Le Président
Rasmane Ouedraogo	...	Tomoto
Georgette Paré
Naky Sy Savane

Also Known As:

The Night of Truth (International: English title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Burkina Faso | France

Language:

Dioula | French | More

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18

Company:

Acrobates Film

Trivia:

Shot in 8 weeks, usually with hand-held cameras on 35 mm.

A moving, self-consciously Shakespearian exploration of reconciliation after bloody sectarian warfare

Set in an un-named African country in the immediate aftermath of a lengthy, bloody civil war, this taut tale takes place on a 'day of reconciliation' where the president, the leader of the opposition and their spouses meet to celebrate the end of hostilities. But after atrocities on both sides and lingering ethnic tensions, can there really be peace? From the beginning the tension between members of the two sides is palpable and as the film continues, the atmosphere of menace grows as the leaders struggle to cement a lasting peace but old wounds remain fresh.

The director is the first female director of a feature film in sub-Saharan Africa, and is inspired in part by her own experiences. It can be a little too theatrical in parts, but if you take it as it is meant, as a moral fable rather than a docudrama, it is a striking and poignant work.