Félicité

Alain Gomis's 2017 film follows Félicité, who sings in bars in Kinshasa, as she tries to raise the money for her son's operation after a road accident. She goes from door to door; the city grants her nothing, and the film builds this not as drama but as a walk. Its structure splits in two: the hard reality of the day and the music of the night. The music of Kasai Allstars and the Kimbanguiste Symphony Orchestra opens another dimension inside the story, and some passages are carried entirely by it. Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu's performance holds it. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. The pace is slow and the transitions between sections deliberately abrupt. Who it's for: viewers interested in African cinema and music-driven narratives. Who it's not for: anyone wanting an orderly plot, or who will find a slow pace wearing.