LES SAIGNANTES / THE BLOODETTES, 2005 Cameroon Film, (Grade C-)

Directed by Jean-Pierre Békolo 
Cameroon, 2005 , 97 min.
Shown at the 21st Annual African Film Festival, 2011 in Portland Oregon


Per the Film Festival Notes:  Jean-Pierre Békolo is unique in African filmmaking. Like his previous films, Quartier Mozart and Aristotle’s Plot (CFAF 1999), Les Saignantes is a post-modern, non-realistic, genre-bending film that blends social satire with a longing for change. It is set in 2025, and today’s corruption, cronyism, and sexual exploitation have only gotten worse. Two young women decide to seize the power of their own sexuality to combat those in power. The film won the second-place Silver Stallion award at FESPACO in 2007.

In French with English subtitles.

sez says: some wonderful images -- surreal, smokey, using lots of contrasting colors, blue light with bright yellow clothing etc.  and creative sets..this is a weird story of two young women who try and dispose of a body of a government official (who died in the bed of one of the young women) --they have his body chopped up to dispose of it, then decide to get a new body attached to the remaining head, so they can throw a wake and get access to the rich and powerful who will show up at the W.I.P. (ie Wake of Important Person).  They are very sexy and they know their sexual attractiveness is power.   It is a little choppy --and certainly off-beat--but it is creative and weirdly compelling.


mjc says: this film has style and verve but not as much of a glimpse into he culture and society of Cameroon as other film have given us of their countries of origin.