Night of the Kings – La nuit des rois (2020)

Directed by: Philippe Lacôte | 93 minutes | drama, fantasy | Actors: Bakary Koné, Steve Tientcheu, Jean Cyrille Digbeu, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Abdoul Karim Konaté, Macel Anzian, Laetitia Ky, Denis Lavant, Zunon François Lopez, Narcisse Aféli, Drabo Arouna, Jean Marcel Brou Dagbeuiko, Lago Sandrine Woroka Gilles, Christopher Kaké, Gbazi Yves Landry, Umar Aïcha Lola, Ange Eric N’Guessan, Sozehoué Ninon, Marie-Josée Néné, Stéphane Sebime, Ismail Traoré, Cissé Vadieneka

If there’s one thing ‘Night of the Kings’ wants to make clear to the viewer, it’s that storytelling is vital. Literally, in the case of this movie. The magical-realistic ‘Night of the Kings’ is set in the illustrious prison of La Maca. It is hidden deep in the jungle of the Ivory Coast and is virtually cut off from civilization. The head guard best describes what is so unique about La Maca: “[dit] is the only prison where the prisoner is in charge.” But in fact, it is mainly coincidence and chaos that reign here. Then a new prisoner arrives at La Maca and he is immediately crowned Roman, the new prince storyteller. However, the current king storyteller, Blackbeard, does not want to resign just yet. To prove that Roman is worthy of the throne, he must tell a story to his fellow inmates one night until dawn. If this fails, death will follow. Roman chooses the story about Zama King, an orphan who becomes a formidable gang leader.

In ‘Night of the Kings’, the fate of Roman and Zama King’s story is intimately linked. Once Roman has the attention of his notorious inmates, his story about King also comes to life through film images, in which you see King pass by as a baby, as a teenager and later as a harsh criminal. Despite a slowdown in tempo in the middle part of the film, the intertwining between the two storylines is fairly good. However, the story-within-story structure of ‘Night of the Kings’ is at its best when the two stories work towards a common apotheosis.

Incidentally, this cinematic intertwining between the two central histories is not the most interesting thing about ‘Night of the Kings’. How director Phillipe Lacôte attempts to connect the oral transmission culture and folklore of Africa with the more modern storytelling techniques of the medium of film is the real highlight of this Ivorian-Canadian production. When prompted by Roman’s account of Zama King, fellow inmates move forward, lisping like a scorpion, or depicting a fight in the form of a dance. It also features several energetic vocals and body percussion sessions. All these facets give ‘Night of the Kings’ a very organic feel.

Moreover, the staging of prison La Maca shows similarities with the prison scenes in the Iranian film ‘Just 6.5’ (Saeed Roustayi, 2019). In both films, the prisoners are mainly sentenced to each other without a clear view of the end of their sentence, or of what they have done wrong in the first place. Because they have to fight for almost every millimeter of freedom within the harsh prison culture, they especially crave enlightening meaning. That is why these physical storytelling traditions offer the prisoners something of significance in this hopeless situation. ‘Night of the Kings’ also shows that age-old African storytelling traditions in combination with film broaden how you can pass on stories from generation to generation.

Incidentally, the film marketing around ‘Night of the Kings’ prides itself too much on the various forms of expression that the film uses, because it only shows some forms of expression, such as dance choreography, only sideways. In addition, the film contains a forced and thin subplot about a transgender. Unfortunately, she never really becomes a flesh-and-blood character. Nevertheless, the premise remains a bold attempt – storytelling for survival. This premise also resonates even more during a pandemic. After all, if we are not allowed to go outside, the voice and the body can still offer a view of something of beauty.