western - FilmRoot

Mimosas (Morocco) – Travel Through the Desert, Mountains, and Time

Mimosas is a film of epic journeys. There’s Ahmed and Said who are attempting to guide a Sheikh and his caravan across the Moroccan mountains. Secondly there’s the magical journey of Shakib who travels time to guide Ahmed to a more honourable life. Check out a spoiler free trailer below (I’ve deliberately cut the length).

Why Watch Mimosas?

If you’re thinking of going to Morocco but aren’t sure if the scenery is beautiful enough (you’re wrong)
To go on an epic journey through the mountains reminiscent of Lawrence of Arabia or Lord of the Rings and an awesome scene with taxis riding across a desert like Mad Max
It won Critic’s Week at Cannes in 2016
Get lost in time as the past and present meet

The Breakdown

Mimosas starts with a few shots of graffiti on a wall of a castle and garden before switching to a few shots of the mountains. As you’ll see later in the film, the graffiti alludes to the modern world (the present) whilst the mountains provides the setting for the past.

After a screen wipe (a blank shot) we are introduced to Ahmed and Said, two guides helping a dying Sheikh to cross the mountains. They are all wearing traditional clothes and half of them are on horseback. These scenes of Ahmed and Said seem to be from at least hundred years ago, probably more.

In contrast, we enter another world in a Moroccan town bordering the mountains (probably the place where the graffiti from the opening scene was shot). It’s here we meet Shakib, preaching about creation fervently to a group of men. It’s present day, evident from the cars and clothing. He’s picked out by one of the head workmen to go with him for an important job: to go into the mountains, find Ahmed and keep him safe.

It’s in his journey into the mountains and meet up with Ahmed that he magically crosses from the present into the past.

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Conclusion

Who is Shakib? And how did he seem to travel time? Is he a prophet? Mimosas depicts the epic journey of Said and Ahmed which is suddenly surpassed by the epic journey of Shakib. You’ll be actively involved in this film as you try to piece together the gaps.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – The Vampire Western

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This film is like nothing I have ever seen. Who thought you could mix the Western genre with Vampires and end up with a decent film about Female empowerment. Add in the fact that it is shot in black and white film and in Farsi and you’ve found the most unique film out there to brag to your friends about. In case you’re still doubtful, I suggest you check out this film as soon as you can and make up your own mind.

Why Watch A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night?

Whilst there are a load of Farsi Vampire Western films, this one really stands out!
To see an old woman in a cowboy shirt dancing with a balloon.
For some bad-ass female empowerment!
For an example of a great foreign language film from the U.S.
Black & White films can still look cool (see Polish Academy-Award winner Ida and Embrace of the Serpent for more evidence)

The Breakdown

A man is smoking a cigarette by a fence. He leans towards a gap in the fence, looking to see if anyone is around. He finishes his cigarette, squashes it under his foot and disappears through the gap in the fence. A few seconds later he reappears carrying a cat and walks off. (And that is how you get yourself a pet cat).

Whilst the cat-stealing man takes the opening scene, the real star of the show is the main girl (she never reveals her name). She could well be a feminist icon. In contrast to the macho man (described in the next paragraph) she is a quiet girl who does what she wants. No one can control her, even though our macho man thinks he can. She’s a Vampire/Western superhero sticking up for prostitutes and deconstructing male power.

Our macho man, on the other hand, is an iconic idiot. He has a broken heart tattooed on the back of his neck, a goatee and a Fu-Manchu esque motorbike moustache. Don’t worry, you don’t even have to feel bad at judging his appearance as he is a moron. After his tells his prostitute to get lost without paying her, he encounters our heroine and takes her to his apartment. Here, he does the most obnoxious mating ritual you will see on film. First he snorts a few lines of cocaine. Then he opens a silver briefcase and counts out his stacks of cash. Next, he closes the case and picks up two dumbbells to do a few biceps curls. Finally, he does a few semi-erotic dance moves in front of our motionless (presumably shocked) heroine.

Conclusion

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is one of the most unique foreign films you will see. I haven’t seen anyone mix genres like Ana Lily Amirpour does in this film (Vampire and Western). However, if you liked this film, I’d suggest you check out the Iranian horror film Under the Shadow. Or if you’re looking for great Vampire films, check out What we do in the Shadows.

The Harder They Come (Jamaica) – Tune in For Reggae and Guns

The Harder They Come Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you like reggae you need to watch The Harder They Come. The reggae soundtrack is the star of this film which brought reggae to the world. You’ll also meet Ivan (played by Jimmy Cliff) a poor man from rural Jamaica trying to make it in the city.

Why Watch The Harder They Come?

The soundtrack – it brought reggae to the world
It’s the first film made in Jamaica by Jamaicans speaking Jamaican Patois
If you like shoot-outs and general chaos (just like the good old Westerns)
Experience a bit of Jamaica by watching it here on YouTube

The Breakdown

Ivan is traveling from rural Jamaica to the city in search of work after his grandmother dies. On the way to his mother’s house in Kingston, his bus almost crashes as it tears round downhill bends and a porter almost runs away with all his belongings after he arrives. This opening is all set to a energetic reggae soundtrack, giving you a chaotic introduction to the life and sound of Jamaica.

Ivan comes to the city in search of work, however work is scarce. Everywhere he goes he meets unskilled people like him also looking for work. He eventually manages to get a job after he fixes a broken bicycle, but gets thrown into prison after he slashes the bikes original owner when he tries to take it back. It’s at this stage of the film that Ivan’s hate for authority starts building.

So, why does Ivan grow to hate authority?

He’s whipped by the police for slashing the man who tries to take his old bike back
A rich record producer forces Ivan to sell his hit song for a pitiful $20
The preacher he works for at the church bullies him

You’re led to believe that it’s a combination of these reasons that makes Ivan kill a cop. However, it’s the film he watches (Django) which causes him to continue killing cops. The film romanticizes the outsider fighting against authority. In the clip we see, Django takes on a whole regiment of KKK members by himself while the whole crowd cheers on.

And it’s these shots of the crowd cheering on Django that director Perry Henzell chooses to show us interrupting Ivan’s cop-killing spree. Ivan’s popularity and fame grows rapidly when he’s on the run, much quicker than after he sold his hit song to that rich record producer. Like Django, he becomes an anti-hero in Jamaica because he’s a poor, downtrodden man who stands up to authority. Even though cop-killing isn’t really justified, the public cheer him on.

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Conclusion

Whilst Henzell gives Ivan enough reason to hate authority, he doesn’t really justify Ivan’s complete u-turn mid-film from a guy trying to find work into a full on criminal. As a result, a lot of the sympathy you feel for Ivan which is built up in the first half of the movie is forgotten.

Therefore, my advice is not to watch this film for it’s plot. For example, you wouldn’t watch Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator for it’s great storyline. Instead, watch this film because it’s entertaining, it has a great soundtrack, and it finally brought Jamaica to the big screen.

Zerzura – A Psychedelic Journey into the Sahara

Zerzura Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you’re looking for a disorientating journey into the Sahara desert inspired by Touareg folk-tales, you’ve come to the right place. Zerzura looks and feels like a budget film, so don’t expect high production quality. However, you can expect a lot of magic, dreams, visions and djinn, as one nomad goes in search of his lost brother.

From: Niger, Africa
Watch: Trailer
Next: Sleepwalking Land, Under the Shadow, Enter the Void

Umbango – Your Chance to See a South African B Movie

Umbango Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

The framing is off, the characters are melodramatic, and the dialogue is cheesy at best. Welcome to the South African B-movie Umbango. It’s one of hundreds of films produced at the height of the apartheid for African audiences. By the early 1990s most of these films had disappeared, but luckily for you, Umbango is one of a few that have been recovered.

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Why Watch Umbango?

To see an authentic Zulu film (not counting that Michael Caine film)
It’s a classic B-movie – perfect to laugh at
Find out what kind of films were made under the apartheid
For an alternative to the polished South African films such as Tsotsi or District 9

The Breakdown

The opening introduces us to Kay Kay, a bandit chilling by a camp fire out in the wild. Another traveler joins him by the fire and pledges his loyalty to Kay Kay. They fulfill the typical bad-guy and silly side-kick role.

There are two things you’ll notice in this film:

The production quality is pretty terrible. The camera framing is all over the place, the colour contrasts are often completely washed out, and the sets are obviously fake. You have to accept that this is a B-movie to enjoy the little things.
The humour is very different to what you’re used to. It seems to be parodying the western genre as well as some South Africans (although I cannot confirm this). The characters also find calling their enemy ‘smelly’ hilarious. There’s a scene where the bad guy calls his nemesis ‘smelly like a jackal’ and ‘smelly as a skunk’ as if it’s the funniest thing in the world.

As long as you accept the poor production quality and can laugh at the strange humour, you’re in for a treat.

Conclusion

Watch Umbango to get an idea of what films were made for South African audiences under the apartheid. Whilst it is obviously a B-movie, it is still a lot of fun to watch!