Timbuktu Film Review

Transcript:

Timbuktu is a Malian drama which was co-written and directed by Abderrahmane Sissako and stars an ensemble cast of actors depicting the occupation of the titular city by a jihadist group called Ansar Dine.

In first writing the film Sissako, he himself a Mali native, was influenced by two real-life stories occurring in the city but also by his visit there where he spent a lot of time talking to local people to get a better idea of the situation from the ground level.

The film doesn't quite have a central narrative – the most screen-time being devoted to a cattle-herder and his family who live on the outskirts of the city – and instead spends a little bit of time with many people different people on various sides of the conflict.

There are also numerous languages, ethnicities and nationalities intermingled throughout. All of these factors, although a little daunting to the initiated, create a living, breathing world that feels utterly real and deservedly so. Sissako has also made a very interesting choice when directing this film – instead of the sensationalised or drama-heavy take on the subject that you might expect - what he's actually done is take a more measured, slice-of-life film-making mode and apply it to this violent situation.

This was a refreshing take and one that allows for more sensitivity and thoughtfulness than is usually applied to such situations. He gives himself, and his actors, the time and space to fully flesh out these characters and as a result reductive paradigms such as good and evil or victim and fighter are washed away. What we are left with is a cast of true human beings – multidimensional and contradictory depictions of real people - not savages in a blind rage nor weak, ignorant peasants.

This type of story, and story-telling, is unfortunately seldom seen and it makes for a timely, honest film which is in many ways essential viewing. Speaking of which this is actually a very funny film a lot of time. The hypocrisy of the extremists' views and demands is highlighted in several scenes and they show that this is not a conflict of beliefs or lifestyle – because the occupiers love football and smoking just as much as anyone else – but it is actually about idiotic bullies wrestling for power or lost souls searching for meaning in their lives.

This is not to say that the film shies away from the effects of this folly – there are scenes of people being stoned to death, public floggings and the spectre of sexual assault hovers over many. There are many scenes which do an incredible job of showing, not telling and which use metaphor and symbolism to terrific effect. 

The two opening scenes – the jihadists chasing and shooting at a gazelle through the desert – not to kill it, but to exhaust it – followed by a scene of target practise using tribal statues and masks as cannon fodder create a fantastic visual poetry. Later on, in what it is perhaps the most beautiful scene of the film, a group of young men, knowing that football is banned, mime along to a game instead, running, kicking and dancing around an invisible ball.

As expected, given the region, the scenery shots are beautiful and Sissako shows a keen eye for shot composition throughout. There's not much of a musical score in the film but the music played in-world is beautiful and made all the more so by it's sparsity and cultural specificity – not to mention the danger such acts carry.

The role of women in the film is also incredibly well-rounded – many resist and are featured just as much, if not more, than the men and each show their different approach to surviving in such a world.

One trouble I had with the film is that it drops you right into the world with little background explanation – but why shouldn't it? It's not a fictional world like in Bladerunner or Game of Thrones and you wouldn't expect to have New York - as a cultural, political landscape - explained to you before watching something like Annie Hall.

That I struggled to understand the world of the film is not Sissako's fault but it is a film which would benefit from pre-existing knowledge of the region or some background reading on (or even a visit to!) the area and a re-watch.

I also found the bite-sized, anti-dramatic tone of the film difficult but is this a problem with the film or merely a reflection of the culture from which it was borne? It's not a question I can answer, and one I've encountered also with say, the melodramatic tenancies of South Korean cinema, but it was a little too slow for my taste. There were also a few moments which showed the film's limited budget, feeling a bit rough around the edges which was a shame, but not a deal breaker.

Overall Timbuktu is a very important, intelligent film that I found easier to respect than to love and I'm going to give it a 7/10.

I am sadly not an expert in films of any African origin but would recommend it to anyone that likes social-realist films along the lines of Rome, Open City, Bloody Sunday, Grave of the Fireflies or The Pianist.

Have you seen the film? What did you think of it? As always, let me know in the comments below and make sure to subscribe for more reviews coming soon!