Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: THE EAGLE'S NEST [Austin Film Festival 2020 - Virtual]
The essence of life around the world, especially the dark essence of survival can take place anywhere. With "The Eagle's Nest" which was made in Cameroon in Nzonsamba near the border of Nigeria, life is hard but it is not unlike the struggles of The West. It is still about power and survival. Oliver Assoua creates a movie replete with choices and betrayal. While morality does have a flimsy line with many of the characters, some fall more deeply than others. The lead character Paris, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Rhianna but with long blonde flowing locks longs for a new life a world away and yet she drifts through the essence of this home while vicious lies happen around. She is not innocent but is also trying to live the best life she can under the circumstances. She is a bit punk but also carries around a walker assist though we never quite get if she is crippled (she uses it more often a weapon). While the narrative drifts back and forth in terms of its credibility as far as its details of betrayal, Paris always keeps her focus. While some scenes bequeath an element of revenge, her best friend seemingly draws her into a web of deceit beginning with an accident they can't undo. This leads in essence into an unraveling of their lives with one simple action. While the contrivances in the plot are a bit cliche to the general, the women are running the show even though many of the men are pulling the strings somewhat in the background (mostly by chance). Sentimentality is used as a weapon all the while the bronze backdrop with the Atlantic Ocean in the background paints a view of a jungle-like Casablanca replete with underhanded criminals but also people looking to get ahead and make a difference. The climax at the end of the films plays to this strength and the addition of great overhead shots via drone show the production value to even smaller films in the region that can highlight the intimacy and the grandiosity of a little seen area like this in Africa but through a genre of a local crime film.C+
By Tim Wassberg
