Augure

Es sind autobiografische Erinnerungssamples, die den fantasmagorisch aufgeladenen Debütfilm des belgisch-kongolesischen Rappers markieren: die bezahlten, professionellen Trauergäste bei der Beerdigung des Vaters; der Verdacht, als fluchbeladener Zauberer aus dem europäischen Exil anzureisen. Der Suche nach Identität und Versöhnung in einer postkolonialen Gesellschaft voller Widersprüche begegnet er mit einem dynamischen Genremix, in dem queere Narco-Jugendgangs umstandslos mit „Hänsel und Gretel“ verschränkt werden – verstoßene Pariafiguren allenthalben, zu denen auch jene zählen, die die unseligen Bannflüche der Patriarchen selbst als Opfer noch fortschreiben. (Stephan Settele)

Returning home is never easy. For Kof, returning to Congo-Kinshasa from Belgium after 18 years away brings unexpected challenges. Prompted by a family event, his visit takes a bizarre turn when no one shows up to greet him at the airport. This doesn’t faze him, but Alice—his white Belgian wife, who is pregnant with their child—is bafed. When they are met with hostility upon arriving at the event, a nightmare begins. Kof, who sufers from anxiety, has another such episode, reinforcing the family’s belief that he’s possessed. Meanwhile, Alice, expecting a very diferent kind of celebration, is in shock. The film then moves away from the couple to portray similarly complex situations involving Kof’s mother, sister and Paco, a child considered a sorcerer. AUGURE aims to immerse the audience in the life of a village in the heart of Africa and achieves this not only by showcasing its everyday quality but also via narrative structure. Dreams, hallucinations, musical numbers and various forms of performance art are woven into the story, revealing a unique, impressionistic storytelling logic that transforms the entire film into a kaleidoscopic view of a society where tradition and modernity collide in unexpected ways. (Diego Lerer)

Baloji: PEAU DE CHAGRIN/BLEU DE NUIT (2018, K), KANIAMA SHOW (2018, K), ZOMBIES (2019, K)