Touki-Bouki (1973)

Touki-Bouki: Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty. With Magaye Niang, Myriam Niang, Christoph Colomb, Mustapha Ture. Mory, a cowherd, and Anta, a university student, try to make money in order to go to Paris and leave their boring past behind.

“Disorienting and at times even a bit schizophrenic, this is an extraordinarily vibrant, pulsating, and eccentric film. Comparisons to the anarchic, jumpy, free-associative style of the French New Wavers are not far off, but thereu0026#39;s something much more erotic and carnal in the filmu0026#39;s playfulness.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story of self-assured college beauty Anta and her fella – Mory the motorcycle-riding herdsman – starts in Dakar and wistfully wanders toward Paris, the seemingly unattainable city of their dreams. Their get-rich-quick schemes and the breezy, colorful manner in which they unfold are funny and inspired.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlong the way, there are sequences of both utter hilarity and genuine depth, although the film does sometimes seem unsure of its many potentially-symbolic representations. But the stylistic narrative and experimental technical aspects are so full of ideas that talk of the filmu0026#39;s minor weaknesses seems trivial.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe soundtrack is outstanding, full of syncopation and polyrhythms pacing the film and giving a rich texture to the images. And thereu0026#39;s constant movement, until the filmu0026#39;s denouement where character, story, camera and concept fuse together in common paralysis, where all seems frozen in reflection.”