Daratt - Dry Season

Young Atim (Ali Barkkai), whose father was murdered in Chad's civil war, is determined to avenge the killer Nassara (Youssouf Djaoro) after a general amnesty is declared.

He then travels to the man’village, only to discover that Nassara is in fact righteous and full of dignity. He asks the boy to work at his bakery. Atim accepts to be close to his “victim” and catch the right moment to kill him. But soon the two develop a father-son relationship, the boy feels more and more fulfilled by learning a real job and becomes part of the community. His vengeful plans are put in doubt. 

In the middle of a summer dominated by American blockbusters, a wonderful surprise comes from Chad, a country that still waits to be put on the map of cinema.
Daratt , by Mahamet- Saleh Haroun is one of the films  commissioned by art guru Peter Sellars within the New Crowned Hope project, a multi-artistic festival created to celebrate Mozart’s 250th birthday.

Now, what has Chad to do with Mozart? And what does the name of the project mean? One step at a time:  “New Crowned Hope”  was the name of the Masonic lodge co-founded by the composer in the last weeks of his life; in the same year, he had completed three masterworks (The Magic Flute, La Clemenza Di Tito and the famous Requiem) that focus respectively on “magic and transformation”, “truth and reconciliation” and “ceremonies for the dead”.

Peter Sellars has taken these three themes and commissioned works that reflected a modern take on them.
Daratt is of course about “truth and reconciliation”: simple as a  parable, dry and essential like the landscapes it depicts, this film is in reality more complex and emotional than it shows.

The two protagonists are divided between a wild but compressed rage, and the need for human warmth.
They have both survived a war and try to reconstruct the sense of their lives. But whereas Nassara has already experienced violence and now rejects it, Atim needs to walk a painful path before making a choice.
A solemn, evocative and moving film. 

Rating

• add to del.icio.us
• digg this article!