Chloe Aicha Boro's documentary explores the rift and emotional complexity of returning to her Burkina Faso village after years in France. Following the death of her uncle Ousmane Coulibaly, tensions escalate among family members over inherited land. The film highlights the clash of traditional and secular laws, presenting broader societal implications beyond familial disputes. Key themes of alienation and the struggles of women are woven throughout, as Boro confronts her identity and the changes within her family and culture, all with a contemplative yet critical lens.
Boro experiences an emotional paradox intimately known by all immigrants. Once-familiar places turn foreign, since the migrator has undergone huge internal changes of their own.
The film returns time and again to a sacred courtyard where, for centuries, the umbilical cords of Coulibaly newborns have been buried to ensure their ascendence to heaven in the afterlife.
This clash is more than just a family squabble; it represents a disconnect between the past and the present of a nation.
In a particularly striking and moving sequence, the director steps in front of the lens as she joins her aunts and cousins in a song.
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