Directed by: Djibril Diop Mambéty
Written by: Djibril Diop Mambéty
Starring: Magaye Niang, Mareme Niang, Aminata Fall, Ousseynou Diop
Rating: [3.5/5]
The dream for something better provides an extra level of drive that taps into one’s ability to get things done. The more aspirational, the more work it will take to achieve, and with Touki Bouki we follow this journey to begin something anew while still mixed in with the current circumstances. Wistfully moving through its runtime and incredibly entertaining, this feature serves as a landmark in Senegalese film history, and with good reason.
Tired of their lives in Senegal, Mory (Magaye Niang) and Anta (Mareme Niang) decide that they will need to raise funds to take a boat ride to Paris to begin new lives. The methods they need to undertake to make it work puts them in precarious circumstances pushing their resolve in how much they wish to complete this dream.
Running through Touki Bouki is this energy stemming from the desires of this young couple to get something more out of life than their current circumstance allows. This comes around for many young individuals in their lives where they seek to stake some sort of claim in what they want their lives to be. In this story, Mory and Anta find themselves at this crossroads in life where they feel their home country of Senegal does not have as much to offer to them as they would like. They see Paris as this famous city thriving in opportunity in various ways and the journey to get there sets things up for what makes this feature so incredibly entertaining as we follow these two youngsters and the shenanigans they get themselves into.
To get the funds required for this voyage and restart their lives, Mory and Arty resort to different schemes and even some petty crimes as more honest methods would take more time than they can endure waiting. Inevitably as they involve themselves in some of these schemes, they run into some colorful characters and in those moments this feature well and truly takes off. Mory and Anta serve as the straight characters of this feature as we see this Senegalese town through their voyage to accumulate their necessary funds. Running into dangerous individuals and those who provide comedic relief, we see quite the number of inhabitants that make this town ultimately unique, further adding to the coloring of this feature and how we live in it.
The most striking image the feature has to offer and instantly comes to mind when I first think of this feature is the motorcycle Mory rides on with a bull-horned skull. We certainly see plenty of it throughout the feature as the couple rides through their town from scheme to scheme. With Mory working as a cowherd, it makes sense he would casually have the skull of a bull. What the motorcycle represents to these characters and this journey allows for quite a reading in its own right as they ride their current circumstance to build for their future. .
Working with a limited budget but definitely not when it comes to talent, Djibril Diop Mambéty creates something almost mythical with his directorial effort. While the narrative has its simplicity, he ensures there’s this magnetism webbed through the narrative that demonstrates his voice as a filmmaker. Crafting this story during a time when violence was prevalent in Senegal, he invites us into this nation, which does not receive much mainstream coverage in the world of film, much like Africa as a whole. He displays what makes this specific town appealing to some but also something to escape from, particularly for the young couple we follow in the feature. Mambéty undoubtedly remains one of the most prominent filmmakers in Senegal’s history and what he creates in this feature explains exactly why.
Quite the journey leading all the way to the conclusion, Touki Bouki rightfully claims its importance in African filmmaking history as it may serve as an introduction to many to the talents often forgotten from this continent. Quite the entertaining journey throughout as we follow these characters and their hopes for something new. Their aspiration becomes our entertainment and the characters we meet along with them help solidify what makes this feature so entertaining. Djibril Diop Mambéty heavily impresses with what he crafts here along with his lead actors Magaye Niang and Mareme Niang as it all culminates in delivering something quite memorable.
Films with Josh 
