Bakoroman

 This is a beautifully crafted piece of cinema which explores the life of a group of young boys who have no one other than themselves. Their journey to the capital Ouagadougou leaves time to get to know each boy and their personal struggles whilst allowing room to understand the situation of poverty in Burkina Faso, as is the case across much of Africa. However, these young boys find some freedom in poverty. They rejoice in being able to go where they want, eat what they want, and do what they want, compared to the homes many of them ran away from due to their parents’ abuse and control. They search for a source of income in a world pitted against them: for most this is about finding an honest job which will support them and their families, but others admit there is more money in crime and therefore more appeal. It feels intensely private to be invited into these boys’ small, chosen family for this journey. They are filled with hope for and it is impossible not to hope for them.

The lack of a non-diegetic soundtrack in this film fills it with space to focus on the sounds of the boys’ life. By leaving all the emphasis on the diegetic sound, the film makes it much easier to understand the lives of the boys and how basic their existence is: they live from day to day on only what they have and find, yet they never give up their journey to find what they are dreaming of from the city. This is a wonderful piece of cinema which captures the essence of its story perfectly and leaves you wondering what happens next.

Written by Saskia Welch