Male hierarchies within prison walls are familiar ground, from "Brute Force" and "Birdman of Alcatraz" to "Papillon," "Midnight Express" and "The Shawshank Redemption." But rarely is an entry as visually rousing as West African filmmaker Philippe Lacôte's "The Night of the Kings," which takes place within the bowels of the infamous La MACA prison in Abidjan, a city on the southern side of the Costa de Ivory. While the film, both written and directed by Lacôte, draws on oral traditions that may seem exotic to some viewers, the film is really about the universal power of storytelling, regardless of language, and how it can be used as a way of survive. Though hampered by some shaky third-act visual effects, "Night of the Kings" is a heady and immersive viewing experience, even when it plays out almost like a filmed play.
When a young man is introduced to La MACA, he finds himself drawn into a dangerous and complicated world where existentially beaten guards practically let the prisoners run the show run by the legacy. Prisoner Blackbeard (Steven Tientcheu, star of the 2020 foreign Oscar nominee “Les Miserables”). Blackbeard is on his way out, preparing to die by suicide to allow for a successor, but he doesn't go quietly. In one last power play to manipulate his lackeys and his latest charge, he calls the young man "Roman" and, on the night of the red moon, the newcomer is forced to tell a story of his choosing or invention until dawn if so you want. stay alive. (As it turns out, this is a very real practice in La MACA, even if they don't actually kill the inmate once the story ends.)
Director: Laura Mora Ortega
Writers: Maria Camila Arias, Laura Mora Ortega
Stars: Carlos Andrés Castañeda, Davison Florez, Brahian Acevedo
The scenes inside the prison maintain a strong sense of realism, even with a lunatic Denis Lavant lurking around the edges as La MACA's only white inmate. But when Roman delves into its story, a kind of fairy tale about Zama King, the notorious leader of the "microbe" gang that sowed violence in Abidjan and was reviled by inmates, "Night of the Kings" moves on. to the realm of fantasy Zama King's story spans decades and many heartbreaking tragedies, including the death of his mother before his very eyes, to the 2011 collapse of Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo. Behind the scenes of the Zama King story is the tragic fate of La MACA's resident transvestite (played sadly by Gbazy Yves Landry), who brings a kind of Jean Genet-esque queer eroticism to the proceedings. He fits the tone; the characters are all male, and constantly in various modes of nudity.
While La MACA was originally built to house 1,500 inmates, it is reportedly packed with thousands more. (Think “Mother!” house party crowds are met with “Climax” body pyrotechnics.) Cinematographer Tobie Marier-Robitaille turns the setting into something of a lush greenhouse, with twinkling red shadows from the moon casting an eerie glow on the inmates and beads of sweat illuminating their skin. The lighting design is dictated by oil lamps and flames. The singing and dancing moments incorporate captivating choreography that also help tell the story of Zama King.
When the film flashes back in time to a magical kingdom, led by a queen in an impressive costume (Laetitia Ky), crude visual effects work breaks the spell as humans anthropomorphize and float through the air. “Night of the Kings” works best when tied to planet Earth, and when our imaginations cultivate the fantasy of Roman's storytelling.
Still, it's an ambitious, time-hopping journey that should keep audiences just as enthralled as inmates. While potential political allegories can be drawn, "Night of the Kings" is mostly fantasy; after all, the title comes from Shakespeare's French "Twelfth Night," a paean to storytelling that succeeds on its own terms as a celebration. of the act itself.
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