Le Secret de l'enfant fourmi (2012) Directed by Christine François
Drama
Film Review
The first fictional feature from documentary filmmaker Christine
François is an eye-opening drama that draws our attention to one
of the more gruesome realities of life in Africa - the practice of
infanticide in North Benin. In accordance with their beliefs, the
people of this West African country ritually sacrifice any child who is
born with certain characteristics which can be interpreted as signs
that they have been touched by evil spirits. Any child delivered
prematurely or the wrong way up is considered to be demonically
tainted, as are children with unusual teeth
growth - all are put to death in such a horrendous way as to make the Nazi death camps
appear almost humane. (Benin
has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in Africa - 62 deaths
for every 1000 live births.) Christine François's
experience as a documentarist shows in the unflinching authenticity
that she brings to her film and the way in which she tackles a serious
subject without resorting to hysterical over-dramatisation or
gratuitous sentiment-milking. Her film is informative and
involving, but not sensationalist.
Le Secret de l'enfant fourmi
is strongest in its portrayal of the relationship that gradually
develops between an ordinary French woman (convincingly played by
Audrey Dana) and the little African boy she reluctantly adopts.
Where the film is perhaps less successful is in its action sequences
and excursions into fantasy (the boy's recurring nightmares) - these
are far less credible and often come across as over-directed and
amateurish. Whilst, overall, the film is lacking in coherence and
somewhat undermined by a script that could well have done with a few
more rewrites, it succeeds, by virtue of its subject matter, in holding
our attention and delivering a moving experience. Aside from its
artistic merits, the real value of Christine François's film is
that it should help to raise awareness of a horrific cultural
phenomenon in Africa and galvanise the efforts of the international
community (particularly adoption agencies) to intervene and rescue
those children who are at risk of being slaughtered simply because they
are different from the average. If only for one's cultural awareness, this is
a film that is well worth seeing.
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Film Synopsis
After separating from her partner Didier, Cécile sets out to
look for him in North Benin. In the course of her seemingly
futile journey across the country, she encounters a young African
woman, who places a baby in her arms before running off in a state of
panic. With the local orphanage unwilling to take the baby boy
from her, Cécile decides to adopt him herself and takes him back
with her to France. When the boy, now named Lancelot, is seven
years old, he begins to suffer from a series of terrifying
nightmares. Thinking that the reason for the nightmares lies in
her son's past, Cécile returns with him to the country where he
was born, in an attempt to learn just why he was abandoned.
Cécile can hardly believe what she discovers...
Script: Sophie Fillières,
Christine François,
Gaëlle Macé,
Maurice Rabinowicz
Cinematographer: Dominique Colin,
François Kuhnel
Music: Jean-François Hoel
Cast: Audrey Dana (Cécile),
Robinson Stévenin (Didier Germain),
Élie Lucas Moussoko (Lancelot),
Yann Trégouët (Philippe),
Gérard Hounou (Le gendarme),
Vivianne Tatangue (Fati),
Catherine Gandois (La mère de Cécile),
Fati Ganiki (La mère de Lancelot),
Mohamed Imorouchabi (Le père de Lancelot),
Pierre Bio Sanou (Le chef de village de Tikou),
Moussa Issifou (Gardien maison Didier),
Françoise Bagri (Mère Emmanuelle),
Laetitia Andrieu (La maîtresse d'école),
Fred Nony (Le directeur),
Assane Timbo (L'intituteur Alain Lacour),
Théodore Seely (Le petit Cédric),
Philippe Caulier (Le médecin),
Fidèle Anato (Chauffeur Didier),
Bana Tikou (Belle-mère Fati),
Arouna Moussa (Gendarme)
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Color
Runtime: 108 min
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