-Written by Kyle Bain.
Eny (Staniel Ferreira) takes an opportunity to travel around Western Africa, something that he’s been unable to attempt after the passing of their mother. Wanting to learn about his past and his family history, he and his sister look to the places of historical significance in order to learn about what has evaded them for years. However, the emotional struggle that may come as a result of their digging in Orango may be too much to handle.
I had to conduct some research in order to determine whether or not Orango was in fact a narrative like I had been promised, because this film doesn’t at all play out like one. Orango feels real, and it plays out like a documentary. Allowing Orango to play out like a documentary, to allow the testimonies of the characters present in this film to feel more real heightens the film and provides a more (almost) tangible emotional connection. It’s almost like hearing real people having genuine conversations about their past, about how they plan to improve in the future–and the conversations are filmed in a way that, again, feels legitimate rather than fictional or fabricated.
Now, there’s truth to the words being spoken on screen–as the characters represented throughout the course of Orango are based on actual people. I’d imagine that those involved in the real conversations helped to play a role in developing this film to a degree, that they had a hand in what was said and done throughout the course of the film. Regardless of whether or not that’s the case, the conversations and actions present in the film feel organic, legitimate–and that heightens the intensity and the legitimacy present in Orango.
Close-up shots, narration, and montages of the landscape helping to set the scene all lend themselves to documentary storytelling. I still question whether or not Orango isn’t simply a documentary sort of disguised as a narrative, and not the other way around. With the acting credits at the end of the film, that poked some holes in my theory, but I’m still not altogether convinced that Orango isn’t simply a documentary. With that, however, I feel that the film somehow better appeals to me, allowing me to better understand and appreciate the sentiments present in the film. Though, while I appreciate the things said and done, I’m not sure that they really apply to me–or that they will appeal and apply to audiences as a whole.
There’s so much good, so much going to help develop this narrative-documentary hybrid, and, yet, I don’t think it works in the grand scheme of things. Orango is sort of flat, tonally, emotionally & narratively. I was able to understand what was occurring before me, I was able to ultimately appreciate the sentiment behind what Eny was trying to accomplish throughout the course of this film–but none of it resonated with me. I don’t feel that I’m alone in that either, as I truly believe that others will struggle to enjoy themselves throughout their viewing. Orango is maybe too simple, too much like a documentary–and it ultimately lacks the vigor necessary to elicit a positive response from viewers.
There’s something here, there really is. From the beautiful landscapes that are perfectly represented throughout Orango to the immersive experience that extends itself from start to finish–there is something here that viewers will be able to appreciate. The fact that Writer-Director Samuel Kay Forrest creates something documentary-like is interesting, but that also lends itself to being too straightforward and not effectively developing a story throughout. Orango is a fine film, one that explores different avenues of filmmaking; I’m just not sure that it’s going to entertain the way that this team had hoped.
Directed by Samuel Kay Forrest.
Written by Staniel Ferreira & Samuel Kay Forrest.
Starring Staniel Ferreria, Marla Stock, Stephanie Ferreira, Zhenka Brezavscek, Obino Ferreira, etc.
5.5/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
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