The first film I watched by Flora Gomes was "Nha Fala" and I truly enjoyed it. I was anxious to see more of the director and "Po di Sangui" was one of the titles I had on my watchlist. Unfortunately, the copy of the film I got was dubbed in French. Oh, that awful french dubbing! The little girl is cute and beautifully innocent, but the dubbing attributed to her is especially annoying. This took some of the impact the film could have had. I hope to be able to rewatch this someday in the original kriolu.
Apart from this unfortunate detail, I thoroughly enjoyed "Po di Sangui". It is a beautiful film about tradition, spirituality, being one with the land, and a social commentary on the destruction of nature by modern society. Rather than telling us a story with beginning, middle and end, Gomes shows us everything as if we are being told a folk-tale by an elder. Beautiful cinematography complemented with an interesting and enjoyable blend of nature sounds and african rhythms, mystical images and a thin line between reality and dreams are the key ingredients for an amazing and heartfelt work by Gomes.
I will remove one star because of the goddammned french dubbing. As soon as I have the opportunity to watch it in the original kriolu, I'm pretty sure 10 stars will be awarded.
Review of Po di Sangui
