And So Angels Die -Hina Anwar

                I did not enjoy watching And So Angels Die. The title may have been pretty, but that’s about it. I know it wasn't their fault that they used cheap cameras and had I watched it when it first came out I probably would have enjoyed it more, but  the poor quality of the film took away from the plot, as confusing as it was. I didn't understand what sort of situation the main character was stuck between.  It seemed like it was his choice to go to France, so why did he make such a big deal about staying true to his African culture. The whole not wanting to work thing was really bad too. How can he survive, if he can't even provide to himself? His wife leaving him was justified for this reason, I think she just used the second marriage he was supposed to have as an excuse to finally kick him out.  Overall, I just really could not sympathize with his "problems".  A part of the film that made no sense whatsoever was where the main character's father cut off his toes so he could fit into the shoes he was gifted. Was that supposed to be some message on materialism? Something along the lines of the fact that we don't own our objects, they own us, and we adapt to benefit them. This could also relate to trying to fit into a society where we don't belong. The main character chose to move to France and yet made no effort to give up who he was. However, when he got home, he didn't belong in that society either where he did not want an arranged marriage or a second wife. He was caught between two different societies.

The only real similarities between Black Girl and And So Angels Die is that both characters refuse to make an effort to change their situations. Both refuse to continue to perform their jobs and then can't stand the consequences. One spends his time getting drunk, where the other takes more drastic measures and commits suicide. They both made me so angry. They were capable of changing their own fates and yet acted like children as if things would somehow magically change.  I think both films were an attempt to show Senegalese people how bad Europeans and their way of life was, but they were severely lacking and only made their own people look bad.  And So Angels Die had no specific antagonist unlike Black Girl, the Europeans could not be blamed for the struggles of the main character.

The article discusses the fear about the misconception of Americans/Europeans informing others on African culture even though they know very little themselves. It's ironic because these films didn't really show me or inform me on African culture, they were more focused on making some sort of point on colonialism that they couldn't even display their countries uniqueness.  It reveals no "African Truth", but instead helps aid the white man's truth.