#daratt

Dry Season

A Teenager’s Quiet Trek Toward Revenge

Daratt

Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Drama1h 36m April 6, 2007

Truth arrives as grudgingly as reconciliation in the Chadian film “Daratt” (“Dry Season”). Gently and quietly told, steeped in the kind of resigned sorrow that can come after years of hurt and disappointment, it is an unassumingly political work that unfolds with the simplicity of a parable and the gravity of a Bible story. In 2006, in the uneasy wake of the country’s decades-long civil war, a fatherless boy sets out to murder a childless man.

The boy is Atim (Ali Bacha Barkai), or, as he explains in the intermittent French-language voice-over, “the orphan.” His story opens with a blind old man, Atim’s grandfather, calling out in Arabic for the 16-year-old, his voice echoing through dusty village streets. Barefoot, panting, Atim rushes home, where together he and the grandfather hear radio news of a general amnesty for war criminals, an announcement that sets off angry cries and machine-gun fire through the village. Atim voices outrage, but the old man presents a more concrete response in the form of a gun. “My son was brave as a lion,” the grandfather says. But the lion is long dead, and now it’s left to the cub to exact revenge.

Revenge is generally wretched business, but in “Daratt,” written and directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, it is mainly bedeviling, surprising. Enjoined to undertake what his grandfather calls his “mission,” Atim travels to the capital, Ndjamena, where he dashes through traffic, now in sneakers instead of bare feet. He meets a convivial rogue, Moussa (Djibril Ibrahim), who steals and sells fluorescent lights and cautiously makes his way to his target, a baker named Nassara (Youssouf Djaoro). A fierce-looking man somewhere in late middle age, Nassara lives with his pregnant, much younger wife, Aicha (Aziza Hisseine). He works hard, freely hands out his pale baguettes to beggars and worships with the frequency of the devout. He’s an exemplary citizen, but there is blood on his hands, not just flour.

Mr. Haroun, whose earlier films include “Bye Bye Africa” and “Abouna,” tells this story of a would-be boy-killer and his prey with restraint, a touch of humor and an elegant eye. Although the setup borders on the contrived — sure enough, Atim is soon working for Nassara — the result is anything but. The characters speak in the unrushed cadences of real life or not at all, with some interludes unwinding without a single word. Shortly before Atim goes to work for Nassara, the two wordlessly circle each other like dogs, like boxers squaring off in the ring. Nassara, who uses an electronic larynx to speak, asks Atim what he wants. “Not charity,” the scowling boy responds, touchingly unaware that benevolence is precisely what he needs most.

Despite the film’s subject, Mr. Haroun’s storytelling shows little urgency, which might be cultural or symptomatic of war-weariness. The unhurried pace distracts as well as charms, and the same holds true of some of the more obvious rhetorical strategies, like the repeated images of Atim and Nassara sweating side by side while cutting dough and feeding the oven. Even so, the film has the feel of a gift. Particularly noteworthy are Mr. Haroun’s eloquent silences, visual and aural. Among the more indelible moments is an early scene that finds Atim rushing into his village’s center after news of the amnesty breaks and the guns start firing. There in the heart of this modest little place where, one imagines, blood once dampened the dust, Atim stands silent surrounded by dozens of hurriedly abandoned shoes. He picks up one shoe and then another, as if searching for answers.

Written (in French and Chadian Arabic, with English subtitles) and directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun; director of photography, Abraham Haile Biru; edited by Marie-Hélène Dozo; music by Wasis Diop; produced by Abderrahmane Sissako; released by ArtMattan Productions. At the BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Avenue, at Ashland Place, Fort Greene. Running time: 95 minutes. This film is not rated.

— Manohla Dargis     The New York Times 

Daratt is a Chadian film directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun.  It was released on December 27, 2006.  While it probably holds a strong and powerful position in African culture, American audiences won’t be enthralled by this film.

After the long civil war in Chad, young Atim is looking to take revenge on Nassara, who was responsible for the death of Atim’s father.  Instead of killing him, he falls under his wing, and goes to work for him at his bakery.  Their relationship tests moral ambiguity to its ends.

As I said, this film probably proved to be very powerful and symbolic in a war torn country such as Chad.  The images were poignant and stuck out.  In the states, this just seemed like some person with a camera wandering around a broken nation.

It may even lull you to sleep.  As a society, we’re used to loud noises in blockbuster action movies or even a light musical interlude in an independent drama.  There is hardly any noise in this film, and the talking and movements are all extremely quiet.

The pacing is just so slow that watching this film is like watching paint dry.  It all builds to a climactic moment towards the end of the film, but the payoff doesn’t come close to overshadowing the rest of the dullness of the film.

If slow films with interesting motifs about silence and shoes interest you, go for it.  Otherwise, you should just pass on this one.

Daratt (2006) - Mahamat Saleh Haroun