March
03
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White Colour Black (15)
White Colour Black (15)
Director: Joseph A. Adesunloye
Runtime: 85 minutes
Cast: Dudley O’Shaughnessy, Yrsa Daley-ward, Alassane Sy, Wale Ojo, Damola Adelaja
Synopsis: London based photographer Leke has it all. He is successful, has no responsibility and women fall at his feet. When a message from Senegal calls him to return ‘home’, he reluctantly leaves his carefree, hedonistic lifestyle behind.
Having avoided his past for years, Leke finds returning to a culture he no longer feels connected to daunting. He struggles to overcome his instinct to run. As he travels across Senegal to his late Father’s village, the tranquillity of the landscape and the warmth of the people force Leke to slow down and embrace a lost part of himself.
URL: https://youtu.be/PdiA-Pcv1gM
British-Nigerian writer/director Joseph Adesunloye’s feature debut – which was made in 2016 – is the story of a hedonistic London photographer, who is on the verge of achieving critical success in Shanghai when he is suddenly called back to Senegal to bury his estranged father.
Born to a white mother and Senegalese father, Leke [Dudley O’Shaughnessy, actor in Montana (2014), The Spoiler (2014) Top Boy (2011), boxer and model, who shot to international attention after he starred in Rihanna’s 2011 video, We Found Love] must make a journey where he faces fears of which he was not fully aware.
Travelling to Senegal to bury his father, he leaves behind all he thought he knew in London as he becomes immersed in a culture where initially his ‘differences’ become all too clear.
It is the power of recognising his ‘differences’ that gradually sees Leke grow as a human and ultimately find meaning.
White Colour Black has a key element of truth, being based on a similar experience for Adesunloye when his father passed away, but it is ultimately an expertly woven original narrative.
Senegal is stunningly filmed by cinematographer Rory Skeoch with an immersive vibrancy and Dudley O’Shaughnessy has a charismatic and striking screen presence.
In a memorable scene in the film Leke is surrounded by hands in what is called the ‘passing ritual’ a traditional method of welcoming someone into the community. This physical manifestation of acceptance underlines the themes of the film through its explorations of identity, belonging and what it really means to be part of a culture.
Streaming on Curzon Home Video
Images courtesy of Peccadillo Pictures
