"On Becoming a Guinea Fowl"

I went to the Tower and saw this film, directed by Rungano Nyoni, and set in modern Zambia. Loved it! There's a notable Surrealist influence in the movie, which features among other things Southern African pop music and kiddie TV, and mysteries related to the death of Uncle Fred. I detect echoes of "Breaking Bad" in the film. I still don't fully understand the plot, which is among the reasons I loved it.

 

I liked how modern this film is, mixing Smartphones, Zoom calls, and modern architecture into centuries-old traditions with respect to death. Makes for vivid filmmaking. 

Also, the film wasn’t quite non-Western. Zambia was colonized by the English, and the people in the film spoke a mix of English and Bemba. So it was familiar and not familiar at the same time.

In addition, the soundtrack was curious. It featured a song called "Godly" by Omah Lay, who is a Nigerian singer, well-known on the international Afrobeats circuit, and whose songs I've heard before in Jamaican Dancehall class. So, despite being a bit exotic, the song and its style was nevertheless familiar, and not limited to southern Africa. In addition, there was a country-western song called "Come On Dance" by John McNicholl, someone I've never heard of before. So, a mix of familiar and unfamiliar.