Banel & Adama Reviews (original) (raw)
Summary Banel and Adama are fiercely in love. The young married couple lives in a remote village in northern Senegal. For them, nothing else exists except each other. But for the rest of their tight-knit village, duty dictates that Adama soon accept the role of chief. The two lovers have their own plans… until something in the air changes. The r...
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved
Summary Banel and Adama are fiercely in love. The young married couple lives in a remote village in northern Senegal. For them, nothing else exists except each other. But for the rest of their tight-knit village, duty dictates that Adama soon accept the role of chief. The two lovers have their own plans… until something in the air changes. The r...
Banel & Adama is a striking debut that puts Sy on the map as a purveyor of deceptively gorgeous visions that show flimsy desires at the mercy of the social, and literal, weather.
From sombre Islamic prayers to café-touba-fuelled socialising, Banel & Adama is stitched beautifully together from the fabric of rural Senegalese traditions.
The directorial debut of French-Senegalese filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy, this is one of those pictures to which the phrase “every frame a painting” might apply.
While beautiful, the impression left by Banel & Adama is confusing.
Sy’s film is a curious little fable, not quite fully formed in its final stages, and occasionally so sedate and opaque, under Bachar Mar-Khalifé’s melodic, piano-forward score, that it feels like it is drowsing. But it’s a striking debut nonetheless, especially as it revolves, with graceful poetry around the inner experiences of such a curious, unknowable woman.
With Banel & Adama, Ramata-Toulaye Sy has conjured a stunning world in need of a sharper story.
While it is flawed, this film finds an assured place in the quietist tradition of African cinema with beautiful images and strong moments, and with relevant things to say about community, a woman’s place and the climate crisis.
Banel & Adama is a striking debut that puts Sy on the map as a purveyor of deceptively gorgeous visions that show flimsy desires at the mercy of the social, and literal, weather.
After watching the trailer of the movie, I thought that it is a movie that shows the simple life events and love relationships of the citizens of Senegal, a country that people don't know much about. I thought that people will learn something they don't know from this movie.
Production Company La Chauve Souris, Take Shelter, Astou Films, Astou Productions, DS Productions, Canal+ International, Arte France Cinéma, Canal+, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), Fonds Jeune Création Francophone (FJCF), Fonds Images de la Francophonie, Fonds de Promotion de l'Industrie Cinématographique et Audiovisuelle du Sénégal (FOPICA), Doha Film Institute, ARTE, TV5MONDE, Ciné+, Cinémage 17, African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)
Release Date Jun 7, 2024
Duration 1 h 27 m
Melbourne International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
RiverRun International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination