Tinged with magic but grounded in a realistic style, Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars is a film as captivating as its title suggests. Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, the movie unfolds as a coming-of-age story that subtly transforms into a mythic exploration of faith, ostracism, and the power of the unseen. Haroun, a significant figure in international cinema, previously earned acclaim for A Dry Season (2006), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and A Screaming Man (2010), a recipient of the Jury Prize at Cannes. His 2021 feature, Lingui, the Sacred Bonds, was also a critically lauded work presented at Cannes.
Soumsoum, like its predecessor, centers on women navigating a patriarchal society, but where Lingui was driven by urgent realism, this new film drifts toward a more fantastical and open-ended exploration of Chadian culture and belief. The film’s power lies in its ability to blend the mundane with the mystical, creating a world where the boundaries between the visible and invisible are blurred.
The story follows Kellou, portrayed by newcomer Maïmouna Miawama, a teenager who describes her unsettling experiences with a matter-of-factness that belies their weight: “I see things, and they happen.” Considered an outcast due to the circumstances of her birth – her mother died in childbirth, a condition referred to as being “born of blood” – Kellou finds solace wandering the caves and rock formations of the Ennedi Plateau in northeastern Chad. Her life takes a turn after an attack leaves her wounded, and she is taken in by Aya (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane, who previously appeared in Lingui), an ailing midwife ostracized by the village for a series of recent deaths.
Haroun’s storytelling is graceful and assured, allowing the narrative to unfold naturally. Early scenes depict Kellou swimming in secluded waters and exploring the stark beauty of the Ennedi Plateau, establishing a sense of quiet contemplation. It is only gradually that her anxieties and the weight of her perceived curse begin to emerge. Haroun depicts Kellou’s visions with a minimalist approach – fleeting images of outstretched hands and unconscious figures – emphasizing the subtle intrusion of the supernatural into the everyday.
The Weight of Belief and the Power of Agency
Both Kellou and Aya are viewed with suspicion due to fears surrounding curses and witchcraft, but Aya herself claims to commune with the dead and speaks of other unseen powers. The film doesn’t attempt to definitively answer whether Aya is truly a witch, instead posing the question of whether such a distinction even matters. Soumsoum isn’t a debate between superstition and reality, but rather an exploration of how we choose to accept the unknown. While the film incorporates minor visual effects, the mysticism is largely suggested through atmosphere and implication, remaining firmly rooted in the tangible realities of its setting.
The core of the film revolves around the concept of agency. Within the village, the supernatural is perceived as a destructive force, a curse that holds people back. For Aya, however, it represents freedom and connection. “You need to know that what happens in the visible world is connected to what happens in the invisible world,” she tells Kellou. “Learn to look at each stone, each plant, each insect with benevolence.” The camera then lingers on the landscape, revealing faces in the caves and figures in the rock formations, suggesting an animistic worldview where all things are interconnected.
A Grounded Approach to the Supernatural
Despite its mystical undertones, Soumsoum’s characters feel remarkably ordinary and real. This unassuming quality is precisely what makes the film’s forays into the supernatural so effective. Haroun’s direct approach allows him to approach the magical with a quiet flourish. A scene of Kellou and Aya sitting beneath a star-filled night sky evokes a sense of cosmic wonder, while a simple dissolve between the two characters feels like a genuine miracle.
The film’s strength lies in its ability to find the extraordinary within the ordinary, creating a cinematic experience that is both bewitching and deeply human. Haroun’s latest work is a testament to his skill as a storyteller and his ability to explore complex themes with nuance and sensitivity.
As Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars continues its festival run, it will be interesting to see how audiences respond to its unique blend of realism and mysticism. The film offers a compelling glimpse into Chadian culture and a thought-provoking exploration of faith, ostracism, and the enduring power of the human spirit.
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