La Vie Est Belle
This movie was a joy to watch. I first was delighted to see that it was a film about music. At one point while watching it though, I completely forgot that it was about Kourou's dream to move to the city and play electric instruments. There were several things that distracted him on the way to musicianship. First, he didn't "have an instrument" so he had to make work by being a dish washer, servant, shoeshine boy and a messenger. He also got distracted by his love for Kabibi. In a way I think Kourou's story is a great depiction of how life pans out. There are expectations that we set for ourselves but the course of the journey may change. We never know what is going to happen. BUT there is always music. There is always love and community. There are always things to make life Rosie.
The cultural messages that stood out to me most were status and the role of women. First there was a big distinction between Nvouandu and almost everyone else in the film. He chose to drive while most other people walked. He was flashy with his clothes and slept with many women. I thought it was interesting that despite his apparent wealth he still seemed to interact with many of the common people of the village. He did not have many servants and did groundwork for himself. I also found Mamou's place in the household very interesting. When I think of a polygamist household I do not envision a strong woman like her to be one of the wives. I would have thought that she would be more submissive but she was very outspoken. I wonder if that would have been different if Nvouandu was able to give her children. Is she allowed to be outspoken because he did not give her a child or are women in the DRC given equal respect even though they are living in polygamist households?
It may be the comedic relief in the film but it really did give me the feeling that life is rosy. In life there are hardships; things that are unfair or difficult to overcome but there is usually satire that gets people through those struggles. This movie captivates that idea very well.
Loni, I really enjoyed reading your response. I, too, was drawn to the film because of the music and comedy portrayed throughout. What you said about Mamou's place in the household interested me because I did not even think about that. I wonder if her and Nvouandu would have been able to have children, would Nvouandu ended up looking for a second wife? I do not know much about this culture and if polygamy is extremely common. I like how Mamou pretended to be okay with Nvouandu marrying Kabibi, but really set her up with Kourou. It just added to the humor and went along with Mamou's personality.
ReplyDeleteLoni,
ReplyDeleteI, too, wonder about how outspoken and strong the women are in this film. I thought there had to be some sort of nod toward matriarchal power and that the filmmakers had intentionally done this, so as to balance out the polygamy? But that could be a really Western reading of the film! I do think that women are definitely awarded different power roles in different cultural settings, and this film at least brings this conversation to the table...
More later, and, yes, skip class tomorrow, and attend to what you need to attend to!
Spring