Revenge, trauma, exploitation of children, environmental degradation – all of this underpins to some degree the frenetic momentum of Saloum, a picture that progresses more in visual brio than in narrative clarity.
And that’s before we encounter the story’s supernatural elements. Hidden in the chaos, three infamous mercenaries collectively known as the Hyenas of Bangui (played mightily by Jan Gael, Roger Salah, and Mentor Ba) are attacking a Mexican drug lord (Renault). Farrar) and his gold nuggets on the run. En route to Dakar, Senegal, their plane was heartbroken and forced to land in the remote Saloum area for repairs and refueling.
Posing as innocent travelers, the men arrive at a coastal vacation camp run by the suspiciously generous Omar (Bruno Henry). The environmental benefits of some of these works – planting mangroves to stabilize the coastline. Fishing with explosives and fighting ecologically devastating poachers — just a touch, but adding gravity and texture to the film’s script by Congolese director Jean-Luc Erbulot. References to the history and ancestral myths of the region are always more eye than ear, action over description. This is a movie that constantly urges us to catch up.
Occasionally things slow down and other guests at the resort pose a particular threat. Juhen) is there. Conducted entirely in sign language, her daring interactions with hyenas are as creative as the swirling clouds of evil that eventually unleash. The Cult of Darkness is cleverly symbolic, as if the land itself is rising to avenge its past crimes.
Punctuated by Gregory Corandi’s gliding God’s Eye shots of meringue-colored deserts and serene coastlines, “Saloum” has an extravagance of allegory and folklore. The plot is ridiculously packed, but the pace is fast, and the dialogue is witty and has a lighthearted bounce. It’s not until the moment the hyenas realize their greatest danger could come from one of their girlfriends.
Saloum
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. at the theater.