Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: OMEN [Red Sea International Film Festival 2023 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia]

The aspect of mixing genres to speak to the essence of tradition is balanced in the idea of expectation and context. With "Omen", which is also Belgium's submission to the Oscars, the question is of a man returning from abroad trying to still be understood by his family which is still steeped in the aspect of the patriarchy and the concept of mysticism. While some of the concepts are intriguing in a way, others are antiquated (which is part of the point of the film). They all are important but also need to be transformative. Koffie (Marc Zinga) is trying to return with his white European wife Alice (Lucie Debay) to pay tribute to his family in the form of a dowry as they prepare for the birth of their first child. This simple approach goes off the rails when a simple nosebleed happens (which ignites the pre-structured superstition).

The progression of the first third of the film becomes societal. The story shifts though to Paco, a young man (almost seemingly as part of a small criminal gang overseen by a older lady) and a group of pink colored kids which seems more to an ode to Hansel & Gretel than anything else. It however becomes almost a reverse motif on "West Side Story" with Koffie defending his sister. It is the aspect of passing along certain ideas of tradition but moving against others for the new world. Koffie's parents (in their own different ways) don't understand (or don't want to admit) that their children are moving in different paths. Koffie's path at one point takes a back seat to the story of his sister Tshala (Eliane Umuhire) and his mother Mujilla (Yves-Marina Gnahoua) who are dealing with the fallout of the family in very specific ways.

Mujilla's husband as Chief (along with the local tribe pastor -- always covered in headdress) is very specific in their rules and how they should be adhered to. Umahire is very specific and defined as Tshala in the ways she is able to convey to both Koffie and Alice the tightline of walking between the two worlds (which she has decided not to do after a time). After a death in the family which may or may not be the aftershock of a supposed curse, the perspective starts to shift. There is a time jump within this perspective which is a little disjointed but the shift from the couple to the mother/daughter actually serves the story better. Koffie tries to make penance in a certain way with Paco as the young man dealing with a loss of his own (though the relevance in terms of the tribe is a tad elusive). That said, the final intention rings very true in that there is no way to escape from a fire that burns. It can bring light and warmth but can also cause harm. B

By Tim Wassberg