Dao

Inspired by personal experience, French-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis (Félicité) blends fiction and documentary in a rich evocation of the flow of life. At a graveside in Guinea-Bissau, we meet Gloria, who grew up in France, and her daughter Nour. Gloria tells her late father that his granddaughter Nour is getting married. The viewer becomes immersed in an exuberant wedding in France as well as a deeply felt ceremony for the dead in Africa, which form two closely connected worlds.

But first we see footage from the casting of the film itself. “We need to become a family,” the professional and nonprofessional actors are told. The loosely structured story about the sometimes-harsh realities of everyday life leaves ample room for improvisation as it organically builds a portrait of a community. There is singing and dancing, but also conflict and arguments. Interspersed throughout are candid reflections on subjects ranging from domestic violence to migration and colonialism. In the midst of all this, Gloria searches for her own peace.