Review of War Dance (2007) by Chads. — 16 Apr 2008

Nancy is Ugandian. Her mother, too. The filmmakers are from the west. The two African women want to please their new "friends". Neither woman, nor child, understands that they have the right to stop the cameras from rolling, when grief overcomes them, in a place where no documentary film crew has the right to be, arguably.

This depends on the circumstances behind the mother and daughter's return to the site of their slain loved one. Was it an organic move, or were the two women prompted to revisit the past for dramatic purposes? We're likely to believe the latter, because "War Dance", at times, feels staged, feels a little off.

In their own words, the principal Ugandian victims tell their respective stories, while the camera seems to be exploring the commercial possibilities of a narrative film, as we get lovely close-ups of the African flora.

"War Dance" overreaches with its poetic aspirations. It's too clever, by half. The camerawork suggests a walking tour into the heart of darkness. A subtle nod to the Joseph Conrad novel, perhaps, this literary reference is ironic because the oppressor have the same skin color as the oppressed.

Despite the filmmaker's Terrence Malick-complex, despite the need to pump up the volume on the self-evident tragedy-of-it-all, there is the music and dance festival, which is the most thrilling spectacle of the human spirit you'll see all year.

Unless you're dead, their performance will move you to tears.