You might not find many chances to connect the works of two artists as disparate as Ousmane Sembène, the late father of African cinema, and British superstar comedian Russell Brand, but two remarkable documentaries convey the influence that ideals of political revolution have had in their respective output; both driven by a similar ambition to become a spokesperson for the people. The first one more than achieved his goal through a ground breaking body of work; whereas the results of the latter’s much publicised reincarnation as a political agitator are yet to be seen.
‘Sembène!’ benefits from privileged access to tons of unseen footage, crafting a complete portrait of the life and work of the master. Born in a small Senegalese fisherman’s village, he was kicked out of school at an early age and moved to Marseille, where he worked as a dockman. The heavy lifting involved resulted in a broken back which send him to hospital for six months. During that period he taught himself to write and discovered literature, soon to begin penning his own novels whose characters were depicted as they saw themselves, not as the foreigners’ wanted them to be. Also in France, he contacted the unions and joined the communist party, which helped shaping up his dream of bringing the workers’ revolution to colonial Africa. Established as a popular author, he went to Russia to train as a filmmaker and returned to his native Senegal, right on time to support the Independence movement flourishing in multiple countries, short-lived due to corruption and international pressure. Aware of the importance of his work, the increasing challenge it presented against Senegal’s status quo earned him a long-lasting ban. The growing admiration for his achievements among the world’s intellectual community finally convinced him to work as an academic in the US.
Helmed by Jason Silverman and Samba Gadjigo, a Senegalese student who inspired by the director’s empowering novels also went to become a scholar in the States; this documentary is comprehensive in details, flawless in execution and like every good artist’s profile, leaves you wanting to learn more about its subject. Gadjigo, asked to be Sembène’s biographer, visited his home years after he’d passed away and found all original films and manuscripts left to rot. Since then, he embarked on a mission to restore them, reclaiming the significant place in history they deserve. Sembene’s debut feature, ‘Black Girl’, the first of those restorations done by the Martin Scorsese world cinema foundation, is also part of this year’s programme. ★★★★
A completely different affair is ‘Brand: The Second Coming’, chosen as this year’s Laugh strand’s gala, in which the career of popular comedian Russell Brand gets a glossy rock star treatment. Veteran indie documentarist Ondi Timoner (DIG!; We Live In Public) expertly compiles the best moments from his shows; activist campaigns; headline-grabbing media pranks and well calculated publicity stunts that fuelled a rapid ascension into the A-list. Relatives and friends were all more than happy to contribute with personal testimonies and plenty of fellow celebrities added their wit and wisdom too; Noel Gallagher’s and Jeremy Paxman’s among the funniest ones.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Brand has often made of his troubled life the main source for his jokes. His excessive personality went to replace a former drug addiction for a sex one first and an unhealthy obsession with fame later. Aided by a high profile marriage to Katy Perry, his stateside popularity grow to a point even Hollywood couldn’t ignore. But after reaching fame and fortune beyond anybody’s wildest dreams, a moment of reckoning hit our narcissistic working class hero. Perhaps influenced by LA’s booming new age industries, the Essex star found in spiritual gurus and community minded philosophies a new kind of enlightenment, which in turn has diverted his path in a diametrically opposed way.
Conscious of being part of a system rotten to the core, where inequality is making us all worse-off for the benefit of the privileged few, Brand has freed his Messianic impulses, giving up on the celebrity machine, liking himself to Jesus and resorting to political activism against the status quo. His gargantuan ego self-proclaims as a voice for the people. It’s easy to question the motives behind this much talked-about search of a new political revolution. A new set of shocking tactics may not serve for much else than selling a lot of books or gaining millions of followers across the social network spectrum. Moreover, the populism of his discourse makes far left regimes look like Milton Friedman’s alumni. Yet, credit where it’s due, he seems to be fighting all the right battles and if nothing else, this latest reinvention promises to be endlessly entertaining.
When judging a film which deals with a fastidiously ubiquitous celebrity, it’s not always easy to detach the opinion we have about the subject with that one the feature deserves, but even those who have never warmed up to Brand’s intense, self-aggrandising persona will find much to enjoy in this fascinating look at someone mad enough to try to change the system from within. ★★★½