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LES ARCS 2019

Review: Kongo

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- Hadrien La Vapeur and Corto Vaclav immerse themselves in the day-to-day of a Congolese healer in this fascinating documentary on the cultural power of spirits, whether witches or mermaids

Review: Kongo

"All types of mystical healing offered: spell lifting, chasing away devils, land protection, dominating-attracting husbands at night; treatment for diabetes, female infertility, chronic madness." Thus reads the sign placed outside the premises of the apostle Médard, a healer belonging to the Ngunza brotherhood in Brazzaville and the star of Hadrien La Vapeur and Corto Vaclav’s astounding documentary Kongo [+see also:
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, which was unveiled in the closing slot of Cannes’ ACID line-up in May and recently presented in the Hauteur section of the 11th Les Arcs Film Festival.

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Opening onto scenes of torrential rain, flashes of lightening and high winds on a deep, dark night - symbolic of the current state of the country ("this Republic of Darkness") - the film gets straight to the heart of the matter: witches, who are often of respectable appearance in the visible world, transform themselves and slip into people’s homes to claim their souls, their victims later waking to find themselves suffering terribly for no apparent reason. But, in exchange for a pack of candles and at the end of a simple ritual, the apostle Médard - an expert in the art for some fifty years now – will invoke his ancestors ("they are our real gods. Our dead are not dead") and imprison these evil spirits in little bottles (which he then throws into the river), as well as prescribing herbal infusions and organising ceremonies in cemeteries (sprinkling the graves with various beverages or offering the deceased cookies and similar sweet treats). All of this whilst nurturing an unshakeable paranoia over witches ("they watch me and look for a weakness in the hope of bringing me down").

All this might seem rather fanciful, steeped in gullibility, sweetly ludicrous, even. But don’t be fooled – shared beliefs are incredibly powerful, especially when endorsed by the state of Congo-Brazzaville. Indeed, the apostle Médard is in possession of an official healer’s license, which now hangs in the balance pending an investigation carried out by the Ministry for Security and the police following a lawsuit brought against him, accusing him of witchcraft within the jurisdiction of the customary Court of Tenrikyo (the judge: "who sent this evil? We are equipped to deal with this here. We’ll know if it’s a natural bolt of lightening, or if there’s a witch behind it"). It’s a case which might see Médard reduced to plumber status and which drives him to visit his master (the prophet) to request that the latter ask the mermaids who are hiding in a waterfall near the river to intervene on his behalf. But a construction site helmed by the Chinese complicates matters…

Philippe Garrel’s former assistant Hadrien La Vapeur puts his name to the immersive, meticulous and highly effective photography of this fascinating documentary, and has also joined forces with the anthropologist Corto Vaclav (who is also credited for the film’s sound) to direct the title. With Kongo, the duo are offering up a film of solid narrative construction: each individual sequence brings its own share of information and surprises - shored up by somewhat unbelievable access to the main character’s private world and to local beliefs – and gradually expands the underlying commentary to encompass the question of colonialism (yesterday, white priests; today, excavators and globalisation). It’s a stupefying mix which slowly grows in ceremonial stature (helped by the musical compositions of Gaspar Claus); it brings to mind the very best of well-thought-out, ethnographic film and offers up a mirror in which to respectfully observe and discover the mysteries of Africa and of the spirit world.

Produced by Kidam and Expédition Invisible, Kongo will be distributed in French cinemas on 11 March 2020 courtesy of Pyramide, who are also heading up international sales.

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(Translated from French)

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