{"id":20082,"date":"2017-01-24T17:21:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T21:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mookseandgripes.com\/reviews\/?p=20082"},"modified":"2017-05-25T16:39:54","modified_gmt":"2017-05-25T20:39:54","slug":"ousmane-sembene-black-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mookseandgripes.com\/reviews\/2017\/01\/24\/ousmane-sembene-black-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Ousmane Semb\u00e8ne: Black Girl<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Black Girl<\/strong><\/em> <\/span>
\nd. Ousmane Semb\u00e8ne (1966)<\/span>
\nThe Criterion Collection<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"Ousmane Semb\u00e8ne was a Senegalese author who turned to filmmaking because he wanted to reach a wider audience than the few well-to-dos who read his books. His debut short film is 1963’s Barom Sarrett<\/em>, and his debut feature was 1966’s\u00a0Black Girl<\/em>, two films that showcase the budding of a brilliant filmmaker. These are significant milestones in film history being among the very first films made in Africa by an African. Today, the Criterion Collection is releasing an edition of\u00a0Black Girl<\/em> that includes, among a host of supplements,\u00a0Barom Sarrett<\/em>. It’s likely to be one of their most important releases of the year.<\/p>\n

Black Girl<\/em> (whose original French title is\u00a0La Noire de…<\/em>, suggesting ownership) is an adaptation of one of Semb\u00e8ne’s own stories. Semb\u00e8ne got the idea one day when he read a brief newspaper article about an African woman in France. He wanted to do a bit of reverse engineering to explore the pathways that could lead a woman to do what this woman does.<\/p>\n

The concept is relatively simple: while in Dakar, Senegal, a wealthy French couple (“Madame” played by Anne-Marie Jelinek, and “Monsieur” played by Robert Fontaine) hire Diouana (M’Bissine Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Diop) to be a nanny. Diouana enjoys this work and gets along with Madame in particular, even gifting her an African mask. When the couple leave Dakar to return to their Mediterranean home in Antibes, France, they present Diouana with a wonderful\u00a0opportunity. They’d like her to work for them in Antibes, covering her travel, room, and board.<\/p>\n

M’Bissine Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Diop as Diouana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The film actually begins when Diouana arrives in France (we get the backstory later). It’s a new life, and she is excited to get to see France. Though from the outset she is disrespected\u00a0and forced to open her own doors and get her own luggage, she ignores these early signs that this arrangement\u00a0in France will not be like the arrangment\u00a0in Dakar.<\/p>\n

It’s soon too clear to ignore, though. The family did not hire her to be a nanny. Indeed, the children are not even staying at this home. Diouana is the maid, and Madame possesses a strong sense of ownership, even telling Diouana to change out of her nice clothes: Diouana’s a maid after all, and should dress according to that station.<\/p>\n

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In some regards,\u00a0Black Girl<\/em> is blunt\u00a0— Diouana’s interior monologue plays often though we can see clearly on the screen how she’s feeling — but the film is also\u00a0subtle i nmagnificent ways. For example, by forcing Diouana to change out of her lovely dress, Madame is forcing Diouana to give up something that makes her feel beautiful. The relationship between Diouana and Madame is painful and complicated as it is used to examine destructive cultural expectations at a time when most people would say Diouana is not a slave but is free to do as she will. Madame’s actions are inexcusable, though she can easily excuse them to herself as an employer. To her and her husband Diouana, who had no indication she would be doing all of the work she is asked to do, looks lazy. For his part, Monsieur seems less comfortable with the arrangement, sensing some kind of injustice or destructive force, but, for a variety of complicated reasons, he does nothing.<\/p>\n

And then there is the apartment itself, the place where Diouana is stuck. Though she hoped to see France, the family does not\u00a0allow to leave. She has her duties, after all. The apartment is a stark, white world. On one wall hangs the African mask Diouana gave Madame, but it’s out of place and, at the same time, serves to remind Diouana what is happening to her.<\/p>\n

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The Criterion Collection Edition:<\/strong><\/p>\n