Africa, How Are You with Pain?

Africa, How Are You with Pain?

Synopsis

"I am alone with my journey, glad to be here in the heart of Africa, in the middle of the continent, far from events which make up the news and yet at the heart of something. I notice the real problems. I am happy to show you the Africa I love. Throughout his odyssey, Raymond Depardon wonders about the state of the continent, but also questions his own way of seeing, his preconceived notions which reality creates and destroys, the images which show so little and which hold up so much. The photographer/filmmaker revisits the scenes of his reports and films and tries to sum up the situation once again. South Africa, Angola, Rwanda, Somalia, Chad, Niger, Egypt, places which successively excite his examination. His voice-over murmurs muffled commentaries which precede, follow or are superimposed upon the images. But never superimposed upon reality. How does one film pain without exploiting it? Depardon shows an immense respect for the people he films. If his shots betray a great compassion, there is never a feeling of indulgent connivance. He knows what should be filmed and what he will not show. He does, however, hesitate from time to time. The simple means he employs are guided by an all-encompassing ethical prerogative: only sequential shots in which there are no cuts, and 360° panoramic shots. Landscapes, groups of faces. Suddenly the camera lingers on a sick child, on a dying mother. And here the pain of an entire country overflows, noiselessly. But, thanks to living in the present moment, laughter can also be heard, smiles are in evidence even in the very thick of misery. Afriques: Comment ça va avec la douleur? is more than a travel notebook, it is a lesson in seeing and filmmaking." – Visions du Réel Nyon