:: IFFK 2008 ::

The human mind is full of desires. But their degree varies from individual to individual. These human desires motivate a person to live, but at the same time they pave the way for a person's total destruction. I think this is the central point of Idrissa Ouedraogo's maiden English-language film Kini and Adams (1997), which screened at IFFK 2008.

The film focuses on two friends, Kini (Vusi Kunene) and Adams (David Mohloki), who share the same dream of escaping from their village to the big city and take a journey for a better life. Their only mode of transport is an old, worn-out car.

It is a tragi-comedy, marked by satire and humour. On the surface, it delves into the human psyche. Desires for upliftment obliterate volatile low-class relationships. Power and money dominate the characters easily, as is made evident in the expressions of Kini when he gets the key to supervise the mine where they work. Incidentally, the car is a key symbol here. Both these irrepressible dreamers want to better their lives, but their dreams are demolished at the end.

The structure of the story is simple, but its implications are very complex. Human emotions are combined with political allegory and the universal theme of technology destroying relationships. The director's visual mastery is apparent throughout. Enchanting scenery is captured in wide shots, making the Zimbabwe village landscape vibrant. The medium long shot of Kini and Adams sitting on the roof of their car with the setting sun in between them conveys the beauty of the dusk.

The film raises the question: Do material things broaden one's mindset or not?