What prevents a Zambian family's burning history from igniting everywhere in the film industry?
In a film that had always maintained a calm approach to exploring family dynamics and the potential pitfalls of groupthink within families, suddenly, there's a sense of anger simmering under the surface. It's as if we're seeing the boiling point of rage that had been brewing silently.
Rungano Nyoni, the Zambian-British filmmaker, first made waves in 2017 with her debut movie "I Am Not A Witch" which won her a BAFTA and made its mark at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, she's back at Cannes with an even more poignant work, and this time with some heavyweight backing from US distributor A24 and producer Element Pictures. In the Un Certain Regard competition, she won the award for best director on May 24th.
Much like her initial work, a biting critique on the use of witch camps in Zambia, her second feature named "Guinea Fowl" tackles the sensitive issue of historic abuse and dealing with it when the abuser is unaccountable. [Truncated paragraph. The remaining content is in this paragraph].
The inspiration for this story came from a plotline that was dropped during her first movie. Nyoni did thorough research for the script, even traveling back to Zambia for some firsthand accounts from survivors. She found an intriguing casualness about sexual abuse and how people dealt with it.
Shula, the protagonist played by Susan Chardy, is a middle-class Zambian woman who has just returned home after living abroad. At a costume party, she discovers her estranged uncle's body on the roadside. She tells her father about it, expecting him to do something but instead, he advises her to just pour water on him to revive him. However, Uncle Fred is already dead. Later, Shula finds out that he had abused her when she was a child, and her family knew about it but chose to keep it a secret.
Armed with surreal imagery and poetic touch, Nyoni takes us on a journey through the lens, only to pull us back with sharp wit and dark humor. People are told to cry, to put up a facade of grief. They're forced to remain silent about the abuse, no matter how traumatizing it was. They feign strength in the face of their pasts, all while the rest of the family pretends nothing has happened. There's this strange sense of unity when they gather to grieve their lost family member.
"Guinea Fowl" deals with the bitter irony of needing to keep these secrets for the family's sake, only for them to use these secrets to bind them together. In a matriarchal society, it's even more baffling to see men taking a backseat in all of this.
Nyoni has seen this kind of situation firsthand. "I know quite well about keeping secrets," she says. She emphasizes that her film is a fictionalized version of her experience.
Caught in a situation where there's no one to direct her anger towards, Shula has to find a way to handle the pain of her past. Her father tries to tell her to let bygones be bygones, to respect the dead and not speak ill of them. Shula, on the other hand, isn't getting any justice. Neither is she finding healing. There's a disconnection between how she feels and what she's expected to do.
In her performance, Susan Chardy makes Shula a complex character. She wants to be heard, to share her thoughts while simultaneously feeling powerless to do so. This delicate balance between speaking out and keeping quiet is reflected in Shula's personality, and it's a stark contrast to the characters surrounding her.
Nyoni sees "Guinea Fowl" as a response to how the entertainment industry often depicts survivors of abuse. "It's not what you typically see in movies," she says, referring to the moment when a secret is revealed and the others rally around the survivor. Instead, she directs the focus on the conflicting emotions a survivor feels in these situations.
"Guinea Fowl" delves into a gripping landscape of family secrets and dysfunction, forcing the audience to reconsider what's considered normal and what's not entirely absurd. It's a sobering exploration of emotional trauma and the lengths some will go to keep their skeletons in the closet.
The director-writer of this piece also sees similarities between herself and her main character. "I've got this anger," said Nyoni. "You may not be able to see it, but it's probably a bit more hidden." Nyoni said that screenwriting is always her own reflection of what she's been through and tries to avoid interference.
Shula is not the only character that interested Nyoni. The narrative of Fred's young widow (played by Norah Mwansa) became important in the story.
"Fred's widow was troublesome for me," Nyoni explained. "So we found people who had similar experiences. They shared their stories and were very candid."
"I have even more shocking tales to tell than what's shown in the movie," she added. "Widows can become scapegoats for people's frustrations."
The film's conclusion shows the struggle of actually putting an end to a cycle of abuse. Nyoni's complex depiction of family trauma is not all dark, as there is still hope present. This is evident in the last part of "Guinea Fowl", where Shula finds the strength to take charge and not let the past define her.
"That's the most potent shot in the film for me," said Chardy. "It's not just about Shula finding strength, she's publicly taking ownership of what's happened to her and is trying to make everyone else understand."
Chardy hopes the audience will find solace in this film. "There are way too many women in the world who have gone through this, and often it's not even noticed," she said.
"I hope people come away from this film feeling empowered by Shula's journey."
"On Becoming A Guinea Fowl" made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival and is soon scheduled for release in theaters in the United States and the United Kingdom.
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In her latest film, "Guinea Fowl," Rungano Nyoni showcases her unique artistic style, using surreal imagery and poetic touch to explore the sensitive topic of historical abuse.
The film's protagonist, Shula, expresses her pain through fashion, choosing to wear stylish outfits that reflect her inner turmoil and her desire for justice.
Source: edition.cnn.com
