Wallay (2017)
★★★ — Wallay (2017)
Berni Goldblat is a French-Swiss director who has spent much of his career working across West Africa, and Wallay, his fiction feature debut, grew directly out of that long relationship with the region. Co-produced between France, Qatar, and Burkina Faso, the film was shot on location in Burkina Faso with a largely non-professional cast drawn from the area, giving it a textural authenticity that distinguishes it from the kind of fish-out-of-water story a more commercial production might have made of the same premise. Lead actor Ibrahim Koma, a Franco-Guinean performer with stage and television credits in France, provides the recognisable professional anchor around the younger Makan Nathan Diarra. The film arrived during a modest but sustained wave of African co-productions finding their way onto the international festival circuit in the mid-2010s.
A-Z World Movie Tour Burkina Faso Ah, Wallay. A film that starts like a moral lesson and ends up forgetting what the point of it all was. Let’s unpack this one. So, we’ve got Ady (a rapscallion French teenager who decides stealing cash meant for his family in Burkina Faso is a solid life choice). His dad ships him off to “learn responsibility” with a strict uncle in Burkina Faso. Classic “uncle knows best” setup, right? But then… the story sort of meanders into the Sahel Desert and forgets why it’s there. The first half is solid: vibrant shots of Burkina Faso, some awkward culture-clash comedy (Ady’s snarky attitude vs. rural work ethic), and a few heartfelt moments where you think, “Okay, maybe this kid’s gonna grow up.” But then… the uncle’s obsession with circumcising him? What even was that subplot? It felt like the scriptwriters stepped into a little uncomfortable territory there trying to FORCE that upon him, secretly at times. And when Ady sidesteps the whole thing by selling his stolen gadgets (still shady, mate), the film just… shrugs. No real reckoning, no growth, just a plane ticket back to France because he saved his uncle's life that HE endangered in the first place. If Ady’s uncle is so strict, why does he let the kid basically freeload? And why the sudden circumcision panic? It’s like the film thought it needed *more* drama and spent way too long focusing on that. Ady “learns” something vague about gratitude, but since he skates out of actual consequences, it rings hollow. Imagine grounding your kid for a month… then letting them go right back to their ways anyway. If you’re into films that showcase lesser-seen cultures and don’t mind a loose, meandering story, sure. It’s beautifully shot and occasionally charming, but don’t expect a tight narrative or deep themes. It’s like a dish with great ingredients but no seasoning, visually appetizing, but ultimately… bland.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2017 | Watched: 2025-06-01
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