By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Lonesome Solo
Starring: Abdoul Karim Konaté | Adelaïde Ouattara | Mamadou Diomandé | Mohamed Bamba
Original language title: Le Djassa a pris feu
Country: france, ivory_coast_(cote_d`ivoire)
Year: 2013
Running time: 70
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2673176/combined
Kyle says: “BURN IT UP DJASSA is set in the ghetto of Wassakara, Ivory Coast. Tony and his sister Ange attempt a meager survival with him selling cigarettes and her selling her body. A public confrontation leads to a sudden act of violence that changes everything, destroying both family and friendship. A street poet comments on events engagingly and reminds us how tragically difficult moving past life in the ghetto can be. Performances are energetic; the photography of street life colorful and vivid, but the drama is unfortunately predictable. The incredibly lame program note assures us that ‘this vibrant snapshot will have you cheering for cosmic justice.’ Not this time. 2 cats
“Seen Sunday, March 24, 2013, New Directors/New Films at the Walter Reade Theater, Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York.”
Bruce says: “BURN IT UP DJASSA is a product of an artists’ collective in Abidjan, former capital of the Ivory Coast, a country that has produced only eight films total in the past decade. Deeply influenced by Luchino Visconti’s ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS, the film is only the second to use the Nushi language, a bizarre version of French slang that originated on the streets outside of cinemas (today most are Evangelist churches) in the 1980s. The cinematographer, who was present at the screening, claims BURN IT UP DJASSA is the collective’s vision of the ‘energy, music and hope’ of the people.
“A narrator introduces most of the scenes in Nushi with his version of the tragic events. He struts and dances back and forth using clichés about ‘being in the game,’ how ghetto people come and go, and they create their own family. This art form is closest to hat we know as gangsta rap, with a tinge of murder ballad. He tells us the story of Dabagaou, who was once a titan of the streets; he was king, moving up the ranks by stealing and killing.
“Older brother Mike (Mamadou Diomandé), young Tony (Abdoul Karim Konaté) and sister Ange (Adelaide Ouattara) are the film’s central characters. Mike is a detective on the Abidjan police force; he received his education at the expense of his siblings who were taken out of school. Ange works as a beautician’s assistant; she is distracted and bored. Hitting the streets to turn tricks after dark is more exciting and more fun. Tony gives up his cigarette selling to rise up the ranks in gangland; he is Dabagaou. Tony’s stealing is calculated but the murder he commits is a crime of passion. He is tagged by the red Michael Jordan #45 Chicago Bulls shirt he was wearing when he stabbed a man who he felt was compromising his sister Ange’s future. Mike is the policeman assigned to the case.
“This is a very bare-bones film, which works to its advantage because of the raw energy of the performers. BURN IT UP DJASSA is choppy and is in desperate need of some editorial finesse. 3 cats
“(BURN IT UP DJASSA screened at the 2013 New Directors/New Films Festival co-sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln center and the Museum of Modern Art.)”