In the film, Ca twiste a Popenguine, which is an early 90's depiction of a community struggling to find their own sense of culture and it is also directed by Moussa Sene Absa. The main cultures that are addressed in the film are; American, British, French and Wolof. The adults in the film are the ones that address the issue of French and Wolof cultures, and the children feud between American and British. They are so confused that they begin to do everything they can to mimic the aforementioned cultures. Including changing their given names to those of popular rock and roll and pop artists like Otis Reading.
Given this background information on the film, you now note the film's strengths and weaknesses. I felt for an African film it transitioned fairly nicely and was no to difficult to follow (Aside from the sub-titles.) Also I understand that these are not paid actors, but rather the actual community of Popenguine who faces the issues of the film in daily everyday life. But even though the characters were played by regular people it wasn't a documentary like you may think. I thought that information was a tremendous strength for the director along with his ability to use music as a central theme which acts sort of like another member of the cast in telling the story.
Weaknesses on the otherhand, were slim in my opinion. One of the main things that I may note as a weakness is not the directors fault but still a weakness nonetheless. And that is the difficulty to relate to the characters. My recommendation for this film would have to be extended to those who feel like they may not know their real culture. In conclusion, the movie addresses very important issues that any American should feel compelled to watch.
