We take a look at Alain Gomis’ Félicité in the Félicité film review. Félicité is the story of a bar singer played by Véronique Beya Mputu whose son has met with a road accident. She has singlehandedly raised the child and now faces the arduous task of paying for his treatment. The doctors must operate as soon as possible on his leg to save it. Félicité needs to arrange for the money and soon.
Being a headstrong woman, Félicité doesn’t bow to pressure and instead puts up a defiant fight against all the odds. Alain Gomis’ sad but ultimately uplifting movie is not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination.
Kinshasa is thriving amidst all the squalor, and it is this backdrop that will be hard for many a filmgoer to digest as the film vividly portrays scenes of roadside brutality. I found the jerky camera work to be unsettling, and Alain Gomis used the blurry images effectively to represent the dark nature of the setting.
There are dream sequences as well where Félicité imagines herself to be wandering in a dense forest. Again, the dream sequences might not be easy for everyone to take in as they are very murky and almost indecipherable. Although, as the movie progresses they start making sense.
Tabu, played by Papi Mpaka, is a drunkard, and a regular at the same bar where Félicité sings. He may have something to offer her. Do their lives have something in common? Can they take refuge in each other? Tabu’s character plays a pivotal role in the movie.
Félicité is no doubt long at two hours. But if you can sit through, there is a distinct possibility that you will remember this film long after its end credits. If nothing else, Félicité has some lovely music that will keep you hooked whenever its story gets too dark, and you tend to drift away.
Stars: Félicité film review gives Félicité 3.5 out of 5 stars
If you liked the Félicité film review, we would love to hear from you in the comments section below.
What do you think?