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A rare slice of life in Mali is the drama Faro--Goddess of the Waters
Faro –Goddess of the Waters is a lyrical film full of dichotomy. It is a bit of cinema that looks toward the future of Africa while still firmly in tribal roots. Director Salif Traore takes a simple story and uses it to reflect to the broader issues that surround this emerging continent.
The story of Faro takes place in Mali and is the story of a man, Zanga (Fili Traore) trying to bring a modern world to his village. He has been away for years, studying engineering at the university. But he has also been shunned by his home. It seems that Zanga is a bastard with a mother who will not reveal the identity of his father. And as educated as he has become, Zanga thinks himself as somehow less of a man that the rest of the males of his village.
On his arrival, the river has stopped giving up its bounty and caused a tragedy. The rest of the village thinks that the return of Zanga has angered Faro—the goddess of the waters. They are a people ruled by their superstitions as much as they are by their elders.
Zanga sees so much potential in modernization, wanting to put a waterworks project in the village. It will supply his people modern electricity and a step toward the future. The elders just see it as something that will bring further ire from Faro. It is the tight walk between these two worlds that is the narrative of Faro –Goddess of the Waters.
Since most of the cast members are non-actors, it shows an amazing amount of skill in the direction of Salif Traore. He draws out some seriously strong emoting from a group of amateurs. This must have had a rough shoot being in the interior of a backward land but the effect of being there makes the film feel that much more real. The landscape is rough and beautiful, full of unaffected greens and browns. Using the natural light give Faro a documentary look.
Fili Traore plays Zanga as a representative of this crossroad of culture. He is a highly educated man who is none the less still drawn to get the approval of people less read than he is. He sees that the future for his country is with going forward and he is still drawn to the old ways of his village.
The film is shot in the native language of Bambara with English subtitles, a challenge to some movie patrons. The pace of Faro –Goddess of the Waters is like the river itself, a bit slow but methodical. But for those seeking something different than the average Cineplex faire, this is a very watchable little movie.
