Review of Viva Riva! (2010) by Thomas G — 04 Jan 2012

This is truly the first movie I've seen this year (I know I said "Life In a Day" was the first, but I lied); choice well made. To begin my first review of the year, I will explain the plot of this film. It is an African film from the Congo about a man named Riva, who is a small-time hustler that makes money by selling gasoline since it is scarce there. He is able to crank the prive of litres of gas up to make him enough money to live ($10 a litre). The problem is that his rival, Azor, plans to make money off of gasoline as well. Riva happens to teal gasoline from Azor before he is able to make a large deal. To add insult to injury, Riva manages to take away his wife Nora, which sends them into a spiral of danger. The plot is interesting enough to make you sit thorugh the film. It is very suspenseful at times, and very slow, but in a good way. Every ten minutes feels like a half-hour when you watch it.

The acting in the film is really good, especially the actor of Azor. The film is not only heavy on suspense and acting, but it is heavy on the style and original sequences that takes place. There may not be a lot of action, but there is still enough for you to wonder. Not to mention that the cinematography and editing is fantastic. The flaws that I do have with the film are only two things; the ending (which doesn't anger you, although it does leave you down) and that the film's style and scenes of the country will leave some people uncomfortable. But to me, it is amazing to see a culture in the way of a film, to the point that you're almost shocked by the look of the country and the people. So, if you are interested in African cinema, this is a must-see. If you don't like film heavy on the crime, then this might leave you with a sour taste in your mouth. And by the way it's subtitled, so don't cry to me if you can't read!