‘Night of the Kings,’ An Ode to the Power of Storytelling — Film Review
‘Night of the Kings’ is one of two films featured in this year’s Sundance ‘Spotlight’ category, a spot reserved for exceptional films which have already played elsewhere in the world. Directed and written by acclaimed French-Ivorian writer-director Philippe Lacôte, ‘Night of the Kings’ weaves the story of a young man (Koné Bakary) sent to “La Maca,” a prison in the middle of an Ivory Coast forest ruled by its inmates. His arrival aligns with the rising of the red moon, and at the behest of the institution’s ailing leader, he is appointed as the new “Roman” and in order to survive, must compel the other prisoners with his mystical storytelling— until sunrise.
In the only prison in the world run by an inmate and governed by its own laws, codes and beliefs, the reimagined “La Maca” serves as a captivating backdrop to a story inspired by Philippe Lacôte’s intimate connection to the prison. During a Q&A, Lacôte shared that as a child, he traveled to “La Maca” once a week to visit his mother who was imprisoned for political reasons.
“La Maca is a very open prison and as a child/visitor, one could meet prisoners and talk to them. For me, it was like a kingdom with kings and queens and lackeys. I stored all those childhood memories and used them for this film,” said Lacôte.
Told in three periods – the present, past, and future— the film manages to balance authenticity and newness with real rituals, vivid imagery, rich history, and dignified early African traditions that proudly reflect life pre-colonization. Lacôte pays homage to the essence and beauty of West African culture by depicting a griot – a West African troubadour-historian whose role has traditionally been to preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people.
To have never acted prior to being cast as the lead role, Koné Bakary, a 22-year-old linguistics student, shines as a young prisoner fighting to earn his keep. It doesn’t matter whether “Roman” (a title, not a name) is great at storytelling— he has a bewitching imagination and the instinctive ability to mesmerize, which speaks volumes about Bakary’s commitment to his art.
‘Night of the Kings’ is an enchanting tribute to the power of storytelling and does a masterful job at leaving the viewer with an altered awareness of the history of society, young people who struggle, and the grim reality of life inside West Africa’s most infamous prison.
Cast: Koné Bakary, Steve Tientcheu, Rasmane Ouedraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Digbeu Jean Cyrille, Abdoul Karim Konate, Anzian Marcel, Laetitia Ky, Denis Lavant
Writer-Director: Philippe Lacote
Producers: Delphine Jaquet, Yanick Letourneau, Ernest Konan, Yoro Mbaye
Cinematography: Tobie Marier Robitaille
Production design: Samuel Teisseire
Costume design: Hanna Sjodin
Editing: Aube Foglia
Music: Olivier Alary
In French, Dyula, Ivorian Slang
